'I was surprised to see misunderstood Liverpool cup winner become head coach'

Former Newcastle forward Lomana LuaLua has spoken of his surprise at the managerial success of Magpies boss Eddie Howe at St. James' Park and Wales head coach Craig Bellamy

Craig Bellamy won the League Cup with Liverpool in 2012(Image: Getty Images)

Former Newcastle striker Lomana LuaLua has expressed his surprise at the managerial triumphs of Magpies head coach Eddie Howe and his ex-teammate Craig Bellamy.

The latter, 46, is best remembered by Liverpool fans for his two spells on Merseyside. Bellamy joined Liverpool from Blackburn in 2006 and helped the Reds reach the Champions League final in 2007, where they lost to AC Milan in Athens.

The Welshman, who also played for the likes of Newcastle and Manchester City, left for West Ham shortly after that loss in Greece but returned to Anfield four years later to complete another season at Liverpool, winning the 2012 League Cup on this occasion.

LuaLua, who made a name for himself as a young forward at Newcastle from 2000 to 2004, was part of Sir Bobby Robson's squad that qualified for the Champions League. During this period, he formed a bond with Bellamy, whose "hot-headed" character, according to LuaLua, led to some misunderstandings.

Upon leaving Newcastle, LuaLua moved to Portsmouth, where he played alongside Howe, whom he described as "quiet."

Howe has since risen to prominence as a top-tier manager, propelling Bournemouth from League Two to the upper echelons of the Premier League, before leading Newcastle to two Champions League qualifications and securing the club's first domestic trophy in 70 years by clinching the Carabao Cup last season, beating Liverpool in the final.

Bellamy is now the head coach of Wales(Image: Getty Images)

Bellamy, on the other hand, began his coaching career under former Manchester City teammate Vincent Kompany at Anderlecht and Burnley before taking the reins as head coach of the Wales national team.

Under Bellamy's guidance, Wales has reached the World Cup playoffs in March and is just two victories away from qualifying for next summer's tournament in North America.

Despite being "shocked" by their success, LuaLua is genuinely pleased to see two of his former teammates flourishing in management.

"I enjoy watching them when I get the time because I played with Eddie when I was at Portsmouth," LuaLua shared with Chronicle Live. "I love the way he plays and tactically the way he gets his teams to play.

"Eddie was quiet. Four years ago, I went to see Bellamy when he was in Anderlecht with Vincent Kompany because I was in a transition from playing and trying to see what I wanted to do.

"So I went to see him to get some advice and talk to him about how he sees coaching, and I was shocked because I never thought I would see Bellamy as a coach. He had a temper and was hot-headed, but in a good way.

"Not many people knew him and understood him back then. So you never know when you are a player that these guys are going to become top managers. At the time, you never really have time to see if someone will be a coach.

"But I am glad he is doing really well. He is a great coach, and I am happy Newcastle have given him the time to build. A lot of managers now don’t even get one or two years, so I am glad they have given him this opportunity, and he has repaid that by winning a trophy and getting them back to the Champions League."