Bellamy was the runaway winner of the inaugural Etihad Airways Player of the Month Award with an overwhelming 56 per cent of fans’ votes to reward his blistering early-season form.
The Wales skipper’s spectacular goal feast - a home strike against Arsenal followed by a memorable derby double a week later - helped fire the Blues to a top-four start to the campaign.
But when Etihad competition winner Ian Goldberg asked Craig to pick the best of those goals, the City striker said: “The one I set up for Shaun Wright-Phillips was my favourite of the lot.
“At 3-1 up against Arsenal it would have been easy to let Gael Clichy carry on running, but I tracked him all the way back then ran the length of the pitch to slip Shaun in for the fourth.
Against the likes of Arsenal you need that extra goal, and that means more to me than the goals I scored to be honest, because that goal showed what I am
Craig Bellamy
“I much prefer to be setting a goal up for someone in a better position. I’ve never built my game around goals, it’s about my performance and work ethic. I think fans appreciate me giving my all.
“I don’t like to come off the pitch able to walk properly - I want to give everything I have, because I know that I’m a limited player. If I do that, it gives me the best chance to play well.”
Ian presented Craig with a bottle of champagne from our main sponsor, Etihad Airways. Voting for the October Etihad Airways Player of the Month will open on October 29 and a fan who votes for the winning player will be drawn at random to make the award.
Watch the Craig Bellamy September Play of the Month presentation and interview by Ian Goldberg.
