Notorious Premier League badboy swapped shirts with me and used it to clean his BOOTS, reveals Arsenal icon Wilshere

CRAIG BELLAMY used Jack Wilshere’s Arsenal shirt to clean his BOOTS after they swapped jerseys.

The Arsenal legend revealed he was just a teenager in the Gunners side when he lined up against Bellamy’s Manchester City in the cup.

Craig Bellamy and Jack Wilshere during the gameNews Group Newspapers Ltd

And despite the Welsh winger giving it to Wilshere all game, the youngster still fancied collecting Bellamy’s match shirt.

But the current Burnley coach – working alongside ex-City team-mate Vincent Kompany – was not so bothered.

Wilshere said on George Groves’ podcast: “I remember Craig Bellamy, right. I played against him, I was only 16.

“It was in the League Cup. Played away at Man City, he was horrible to me the whole game.

“Anyway, after the game I wanted his shirt, ‘Can I have your shirt?’

“He gave it to me, I gave him mine, I walked off and as I turn around he’s cleaning his boots with my shirt!”

Bellamy left City in 2011, one year before they went onto win the Premier League.

He had playing stints with Cardiff and Liverpool before hanging up his boots in 2014.

By 2019, Bellamy moved into coaching with Anderlecht’s Under 21s in Belgium but he was hired by Kompany at Burnley last year.

Similarly, Wilshere is now coaching with Arsenal’s U18s having retired from football in 2022.

But he is enjoying boxing training on the side and told ex-world champion Groves that West Ham’s Aaron Creswell would be his dream opponent.

Wilshere revealed: “You know Aaron Creswell? I played with him.

“I can always remember him sort of floating around the training ground sort of putting his hands up pretending to fight people.

“I think I’d like to have a go with Creswell. He’s a similar height to me as well, similar weight.”

Aaron Creswell is Jack Wilshere’s dream opponentRichard Pelham / The Sun