"I was a little bit surprised but I cannot deny it is something I have always wanted, I am extremely excited about it.
"There's an extra appreciation on my behalf for what John Toshack has done. There was always going to be a lot of media attention with it.
"I expected this reaction, the negativity. It is not something I am unfamiliar with, but one or two good things have been said."
Bellamy will captain Wales in Cardiff in Ryan Giggs' injury absence, and intends to make the most of his opportunity.
In the few days we have been together I am even more sure making Craig Bellamy captain was the right decision Wales manager John Toshack
"Few people can really understand the feeling to captain your country," Bellamy added.
"Don't get me wrong, Ryan Giggs is the captain, but I have the armband for one or two games and that will live with me forever."
Toshack is banking on Bellamy to bring an extra enthusiasm to the Wales squad for the two matches in Cardiff's Millennium Stadium.
"His enthusiasm, we are hoping, will rub off on some of the younger ones," said Toshack.
"We looked at the alternatives and we decided that Craig was, without doubt, the best one for these two matches.
"I have a hunch that it will give him something else to think about other than next week's court hearing.
"I am confident that he will not let me down. I have known him for a while and his commitment with us has always been first class.
"You never see Bellamy missing out on a Wales match or a get-together, his commitment cannot be doubted.
"He has settled into the job well, managers sometimes have little hunches that nobody else can understand, but there is always a reason.
"People are talking about the problems he has coming up, but in the few days we have been together I am even more sure it was the right decision.
"He has not just come to Cardiff to play for Wales, he has come to captain Wales."
Wales assistant manager Roy Evans says Bellamy's reputation as a troublemaker should not be held against him for the rest of his life.
"There is no doubt he did get into some trouble, that's known," Evans said.
"But the lad has started to do the right things and we feel he will be a good captain for us."
That decision by Toshack to hand Bellamy the armband has polarised opinion.
Those who doubt his suitability for the role point out that Bellamy has frequently courted trouble, culminating with the spectacular fall-out with Graeme Souness last year that ended his Newcastle career.
Since then Bellamy has worked to rid himself of that image at Celtic, Blackburn and now Liverpool.
But his attempts to rid himself of the bad-boy image have not been helped by next week's court appearance, to answer a charge he has always denied.
"Let's not allow things in the past to live with him forever," said former Liverpool manager Evans.
"He should be remembered as a great player, so it's a little sad that we all have to talk about this.
"But you cannot hold that against him for the rest of his life."
