Craig Bellamy has announced that he will retire from international football following Wales' World Cup qualifiers against Macedonia and Belgium.
"This is the last week of my Wales career," said the 34-year-old Cardiff City striker. "I will not play in November [the beginning of the Euro 2016 qualification campaign]."
Bellamy is the equal third most-capped player in Welsh football history, and will win his 77th cap against Macedonia on Friday in what will be his final home appearance, which will fittingly take place in his hometown of Cardiff, before bringing down the curtain in Brussels next Tuesday. "I am grateful for every game I have been lucky enough to play for my country," he added. "When you get the opportunity to do it 70-odd times it is hard to let go. But the next qualifying campaign is another two years. I am not going to see it, and for this group of players, with the talent they have, to have the best shot, I have to be realistic."
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