Vincent Kompany described Craig Bellamy as "misunderstood" ahead of his expected appointment to Burnley's coaching staff.
The pair worked together at Anderlecht and are now set to be re-united at Turf Moor, with Kompany all-but confirming as much in his first Burnley press conference on Friday. "He’s someone I have huge respect for," said the Belgian when asked about Bellamy.
"He’s incredibly gifted and he’s a typical misunderstood guy who gives so much, if I can have him with me, I will. Just give me three or four days to make sure."
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Bellamy was no stranger to controversy during his playing career, although those close to him will always highlight the striker's immense work ethic and his drive to succeed at the highest level. And a failed meeting with football legend Diego Maradona - who has since passed away - typifies the true make-up of former Wales star Bellamy.
Peter "Tubes" Dale recently interviewed the former frontman on his time at Man City, and the 42-year-old revealed the heart-warming reason behind how he missed out on the chance to meet his icon Maradona through close pal Carlos Tevez.
"He [Tevez] came into the training ground. I was close to Carlos, he's a great guy," the Welshman said on Tubes & Ange Golf Life.
"He said 'what are you doing today after training?', so I was like 'nothing'. He says 'I was just with Diego, he wants to meet you. He's at Liverpool Crown Plaza and he wants to know if you can come and meet him before he flies to Barcelona'. So of course I'd love to, that's one of my top three ever to go and meet someone. I'd met [Nelson] Mandela, always wanted to meet him, and then Tiger Woods.
"I went into my locker and there was a club suit there. I remembered 'I've got a funeral today'. There was a young kid who had leukaemia, he came into the club a couple of months earlier and he passed away unfortunately. I asked Vicky from PR who was going to the funeral, she said we were sending a wreath but I said I thought it was important that a player goes there so I said I'd go, it's no problem.
"I just said to Carlos, 'I can't go [to meet Maradona], please tell him my apologies, I'd love to meet him and hopefully I'll get that opportunity again, but I've got to go to a funeral which I did. I had to do that.
"I was just honoured that he knew me. He was Maradona. I was shocked."
Bellamy has been out of management since leaving his role with Anderlecht's Under-21s last year but is now poised to come up against former clubs Norwich, Cardiff, Blackburn and Coventry in the Championship.
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