Cardiff City striker Craig Bellamy has thanked his former team Norwich City for giving him his first break in football.

The 34-year-old Welsh forward developed at the English club's youth academy and was part of the first team from 1996 to 2000.

"I loved Norwich and will always be grateful to them for everything they did for me, everything they taught me and the patience they showed," Wales Online quotes him as saying. "I was schooled right in a terrific club and had terrific professionals around me.

"Maybe if the club had been pressing for promotion, first-team appearances for somebody like me would have been limited. But Norwich had been plunged into a financial crisis as the club tried to adapt to no longer being in the Premier League.

"The result was that young lads like me were given a chance. I would probably not have had such a good career if it had not been for that experience with Norwich. I would not have developed into the player I became if I had been stuck in the reserves at a club where it was impossible for a kid to force his way into the first team."

Cardiff will take on Norwich in the Premier League at Carrow Road on Saturday.