Craig Bellamy has been confirmed as the next Wales captain once current skipper Ryan Giggs retires from international football on Saturday.
Giggs will win his 64th and final Wales cap in the Euro 2008 qualifier with the Czech Republic in Cardiff.
He will then hand on the captain's armband to Liverpool striker Bellamy.
Wales manager John Toshack said: "Craig is something of a character, but I have complete faith in him as Wales' new captain on a permanent basis."
Bellamy stood in as skipper last October when fellow Cardiff-born star Giggs was injured, leading Wales in matches against Slovakia and Cyprus.
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The Cardiff double-header started poorly as the Slovaks hammered Wales 5-1 in the Millennium Stadium.
But better was to follow four days later when Bellamy led Wales to a 3-1 win over Cyprus.
The 27-year-old set up Rob Earnshaw's goal in that match before adding Wales' third, clinching his country's first points in the Euro 2008 Group D qualifiers.
At the time Bellamy was still involved in a high-profile Cardiff court case, and Toshack then defended his decision to appoint the Liverpool striker as his skipper.
"I would accept Craig is very vocal about things"
Since then Bellamy has been involved in the infamous 'golf club' uproar while away with Liverpool at a Portuguese training camp ahead of the Champions League victory in Barcelona in February that earned him a club fine.
However, Bellamy pleaded for part of his fine to be donated to struggling Welsh club Wrexham, who were able to sign three loan players with the cash and ultimitely escape Football League relegation.
But Toshack has no hesitation in making the 45-cap player his leader on the pitch once Giggs told the former Real Madrid boss he was retiring.
"I immediately took Craig aside and told him he would be taking over when Ryan had left," Toshack said.
"Without a shadow of a doubt he is the right man for the job. He did it very well earlier in the season.
"He is committed to Wales and I would accept he is very vocal about things."
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