The Welsh international captain signed from Liverpool in a club record £7.5m deal in summer 2007 and duly scored three goals in his first five outings for Alan Curbishley.

Cardiff-born Bellamy left home as a teenager to begin his career with Norwich City, where he made his debut against Crystal Palace in March 1997, before going on to score 34 goals in 91 league and cup appearances for the Canaries.

Aged just 18, he made his senior international debut for Wales in a goalless draw against Jamaica in his native Cardiff in March 1998, and by the time he kicked off the 2007/08 season, he had gone on to win 46 caps - scoring 13 goals - after being handed the captaincy by John Toshack following the retirement of Ryan Giggs.

In summer 2000, he earned a £5m move to Coventry City, where he scored eight league and cup goals in 39 outings, although the club had a disastrous 2000/01 campaign that saw them relegated after 34 years in the top flight.

The Sky Blues' demise made Bellamy the target of several Premier League clubs and, in June 2001, Newcastle United manager Bobby Robson swooped to sign him for £6m. The Welshman enjoyed a fantastic start to his career at St James' Park, scoring on his home debut in an Intertoto Cup match against Belgian side Lokeren, before going on to win the 2002 PFA Young Player of the Year award at the end of his first campaign, in which he scored 16 goals in 39 league and cup outings.

Forming a potent strike-force alongside Alan Shearer, Bellamy helped Newcastle to qualify for the Champions League. After progressing through the first group stage, the Tynesiders may have found Inter Milan and Barcelona too strong during 2002/03, but on the domestic front they still managed a third-place finish as Bellamy bagged ten goals in 36 league and cup appearances.

Fifth-spot and the UEFA Cup semi-finals followed in the 2003/04 season, but it was to prove an injury-punctuated campaign for the Welshman, who scored just four times in 24 league and cup outings. Following the arrival of Graeme Souness as manager in August 2004, Bellamy's Newcastle career hit a rocky patch which led to him joining Celtic on loan, where he scored nine goals in just 15 appearances.

In July 2005, his former national coach Mark Hughes paid £5m to take Bellamy to Blackburn Rovers - and having struck 43 goals in 128 league and cup outings for Newcastle United - he again proved his Premier League class, scoring 17 goals in 32 appearances at Ewood Park, a strike-rate that convinced Liverpool to splash out £6m for his services just 12 months later.

Bellamy managed nine goals in 43 appearances for the Reds, including a vital Champions League strike against Barcelona at Camp Nou that helped Rafael Benitez's men on their way to the final against AC Milan in May 2007, when he was an unused substitute as the Italian giants sealed a 2-0 victory.

The Anfield arrivals of Fernando Torres, Ryan Babel and Andrei Voronin meant Bellamy was suddenly surplus to requirements on Merseyside and that was the cue for Curbishley to swoop with that club record bid.

After making his West Ham debut in the opening day defeat by Manchester City, Bellamy struck his first goals for the club during the 2-1 win at Bristol Rovers in the Carling Cup second round on 28 August 2007 before bagging his first Premier League goal in claret and blue at Reading four days later.