Craig Bellamy, the Manchester City and Wales striker, has revealed that he is considering retiring from international football in a bid to prolong his career at club level.

Bellamy, 30, said he doubted that he could continue to represent Wales if City qualify for the Champions League this season, given his long history of injuries.

The news would be a bitter blow for Wales, who have come to rely on their captain, but Bellamy, who has scored 17 goals in 57 matches for his country during an 11-year international career, believes he must start to consider the demands being placed on his body.

“If we get to the Champions League — which is what we are aiming for — and I’m still a big part of that, I’ll have to be realistic,” he said.

“Can I compete in the Champions League, Premier League and internationals? Every day is a battle for my place at City. Am I able to play 50 or 60 matches a season? Probably not.

“I’d have to look at it. If my knee’s sore and we’ve [Wales] a friendly in Australia, it’s not going to work out.”

Bellamy has made an impressive start to the season for City, scoring four goals in ten games, but a groin problem kept him out of the 1-1 draw away to Wigan Athletic 12 days ago and the striker has conceded that staying fit is one of his biggest battles.

“People might say that I’ve not progressed as I should have,” Bellamy said. “I’d agree, but I’ve not been fully fit for a whole season.

“Normally, I set myself targets, like so many goals or whatever, but coming into this season, I set myself just one. Myself, the physios and the fitness coaches, we all sat down at the start of the season and I said to them, ‘Make sure I’m fit this season.’ I knew I could only challenge for my place if I was fit.”

Despite the arrival of three strikers — Carlos Tévez, Emmanuel Adebayor and Roque Santa Cruz — for a combined fee of £90 million in the summer, Bellamy has been one of the first names on Mark Hughes’s teamsheet.

His performance in the 4-3 defeat by Manchester United at Old Trafford last month, when he scored twice, giving Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic a torrid time in the process, drew particular praise.

Bellamy is one of those players who needs to know where he stands and credits his form to the faith shown in him by Hughes, under whom he played for Wales and Blackburn Rovers, a situation that contrasts starkly to his combustible relationship with Graeme Souness at Newcastle United.

“I’ve been with Mark Hughes since I was 16,” Bellamy said. “If anyone knows me as a player, it’s him. He doesn’t do anything special for me before a game. I just know where I am.

“Sir Bobby Robson did the same for me [at Newcastle]. He looked to get the best out of each individual. Some managers don’t do that.

“The manager [Hughes] pulled me in at the start of the season and straight away said, ‘I back you against anyone. I know what you’re like: if you’re fit, I’d put my money on you so just go out there and get your place.’

“At that moment, I knew I was part of it. It didn’t matter who came into the club. I’m feeling confident and comfortable. I can really give it a go.

“Everything seems to make sense to me on the pitch at the moment. It just seems to be going the way I want it to. I’m with familiar faces, people I would trust with my life, and when you are that comfortable, the rest just comes off the back of that.”

Retiring types

Craig Bellamy would not be the first player to retire before he has passed his best.

Jamie Carragher The Liverpool defender announced his retirement from international football with England in 2007 and famously went on the radio to confront Adrian Durham, the talkSPORT host, after he had accused him of “bottling it”.

Paul Scholes The Manchester United midfield player quit playing for England in August 2004 to concentrate on his club career and to spend more time with his family. Subsequent attempts from England managers to persuade him to come back fell on deaf ears.

Ryan Giggs The Manchester United winger brought the curtain down on a 16-year international career with Wales in May 2007. Last season he was crowned the PFA Player of the Year.