Craig Bellamy recalls the ‘immense’ Celtic moment during Rangers game that made him want to stay

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Craig Bellamy is a name that divides opinion among the Celtic fanbase.

Bellamy’s loan spell at Celtic saw him play a role in the Scottish Cup final win, but miss out on the league title on the final day of the 2005/06 season.

The Wales manager scored nine goals in 15 games before returning to Newcastle United at the end of his loan spell.

His best moment arguably came against Rangers in the Glasgow derby as his winner at Ibrox changed fans’ perception of the forward following a difficult debut against the Bhoys’ fierce rivals.

It was that very game that Bellamy remembers a grand gesture from Celtic supporters that even had him wanting to extend his stay at Parkhead.

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Craig Bellamy recalls Celtic banner during Rangers win

During an interview with the Central Club Podcast, Bellamy revealed that his favourite moment was seeing Celtic supporters holding up a banner in homage to him.

He said: “I remember we played at Ibrox, and in the full end the Celtic fans were in there was this big massive banner that said ‘Welcome to the Craig Bellamy show’.

“I looked at it, and said they’re right. I’ve never had anything like that. It was a lot of love. I was only on the pitch for 55 minutes and it was a show. I’m good at playing stuff down as well.

“It was just immense honestly. I still have a rapport with the Celtic fans now.”

Why Craig Bellamy didn’t join Celtic on a permanent deal

Although the loan ended on a sour note due to missing out on the league, Bellamy loved his time at Celtic and was linked with a permanent move in 2010 but instead chose to join boyhood club Cardiff City.

That didn’t cloud his time in Glasgow, and he admitted he “didn’t want it to end” when the 2005/06 season was wrapped up.

“It was a period I didn’t want to end, if I would have signed they would have loved me,” Bellamy added.

“We would have been together for a long, long time. It didn’t happen due to circumstances with the money that was going on at Celtic at the time, wages and fees etc. I wasn’t that worried about wages because it was football for me that was important.”