Nations League: Wales v Turkey
Venue: Cardiff City Stadium Date: Friday, 6 September Kick-off: 19:45 BST
Coverage: Listen on BBC Radio Wales, Radio Cymru, Radio 5 Live, plus live text commentary, followed by report and reaction on the BBC Sport website and app.
When Craig Bellamy shook Harry Wilson’s hand to congratulate him on making his Wales debut in Brussels in October 2013, it felt like a symbolic moment for Welsh football.
This was to be Bellamy’s 78th and final appearance for his country, while Wilson had come on as a late substitute to become Wales’ youngest player at 16 years and 207 days.
A minute after Wilson’s introduction, Bellamy set up Aaron Ramsey’s goal to earn a creditable 1-1 draw against a star-studded Belgium side on their way to the 2014 World Cup the following summer.
Qualification had long been out of Wales’ grasp and yet, even as they approached a 56th year without playing at a major tournament, there was a sense that something special was brewing.
“I see a bright future for us,” Bellamy said at the time. “Although I may not be around myself when we do eventually qualify.”
Wales did not have to wait long. In fact, they realised their long-held dream at the next attempt as they not only qualified for Euro 2016 but soared to the semi-finals.
Wilson had fallen out of favour by then and watched as a fan in France, while Bellamy worked as a TV pundit as Ramsey, Gareth Bale and others took Wales to historic new heights.
But when they qualified for the following European Championship and 2022 World Cup, Wilson was back in the fold to experience the magic of a major tournament for himself. The Fulham attacking midfielder now has 54 caps.
On Friday, he will be reunited with Bellamy as the former captain begins his reign as Wales head coach with a Nations League match at home to Turkey.
“When I started to understand football he was in probably the prime of his career. Being a Liverpool fan as well, him playing for the club and being Welsh, he was definitely someone I watched and looked up to,” says Wilson, who started his career at Liverpool.
“My first game was his last so I managed to cross paths briefly with him as a player. To see the standard he set was great, and I feel like he’s taken that into his coaching.”
Risk, attack, obsess over detail – Bellamy’s new style
Wilson and his team-mates have only had a handful of training sessions with Bellamy but he has already had a big impact.
“I think it definitely feels different. I think his ideas and the style of play he wants us to play is different to what we’ve played before,” says the 27-year-old.
“There’s a lot more risk involved in the build-up. He especially wants the goalkeepers, defenders and others to stay on the ball and take responsibility and build up the pitch that way. I also feel if we get that right, it gets us attacking players higher up the pitch.
“It’s definitely the way I want to play football and the way I see football as well. To have that has been great.”
Bellamy will not have long to implement his changes. He took his first training session on Monday and, after Friday’s game against Turkey, Wales are away against Montenegro three days later.
“We’ve definitely got the players to play the way he wants to,” Wilson adds. “There’s been a lot of mistakes in the first couple of days but that’s just the lads getting used to it.
“I feel like when we get it right and we click, I think we can be a real threat playing the way we’re going to play.
“There’s an obsession with the way he wants to play. The detail he goes into is amazing. Even the little things like your body shape and your angles when you’re receiving the ball. Little things like that.
“It feels like if you get them right then the whole game can come together. That’s the thing I’ve seen most in the first few days, the obsession with the little things.
“We have to use these games to get to work on the ideas that the new manager wants, the new style he wants us to play, but ultimately as players, you want to win every game.
“Starting with Friday, we want to take three points in every game we play. Whether that happens we’re not sure, but we’re going to give it a good go and then the manager will want to see his playing style, and hopefully the fans will be able to see what we’ve been working on this week.”
