Bellamy respects Toshack
Craig Bellamy praised Wales boss John Toshack for having the nerve to make him captain.
The Liverpool star will step in for the injured Ryan Giggs when Wales play Slovakia in Cardiff in a Euro 2008 qualifier at the Millennium Stadium.
Bellamy said: "I was a little bit surprised but I cannot deny it is something I have always wanted, I am extremely excited about it. The decision gets a lot of respect from me to John Toshack, I knew of all the attention it would create and it took a lot of nerve."
He added: "There's an extra appreciation on my behalf for what he has done. There was always going to be a lot of media attention with it.
"I expected this reaction, the negativity. It is not something I am unfamiliar with but one or two good things have been said."
He added: "I have been captain at under-15, under-16, under-17 and under-21 level, so I have captained my country throughout my career. However this is the first time I`ve been captain at senior level and it has always been an ambition.
"Few people can really understand the feeling to captain your country. Don't get me wrong, Ryan Giggs is the captain, but I have the armband for one or two games and that will live with me forever."
