England’s games against Serbia and Albania – which conclude their World Cup qualifiers – may be dead rubbers, with qualification secured, but they are highly significant when it comes to deciding who plays in that key area when the tournament starts.
Rogers revealed the extent of his friendship with Bellingham when he said: “I don’t remember it, but apparently he came to my fifth birthday party.”
They are often seen together on England duty and Rogers has said previously: “It made it even sweeter, sharing the pitch with him again. It’s so nice, knowing I can share these moments with him and that he feels happy and proud as well.
“My mum knows his parents quite well, to do with work and stuff. We have always been around each other, playing against each other in the academies.
“Being in the first under-15 camp together, both being from Birmingham, we kind of stuck to each other.
“We grew up probably five minutes away from each other. We have kind of been rivals, me as West Brom and him at Birmingham City.”
Bellingham and Rogers have been pitted against each other in the fight for a place, along with Foden, but it is still a heartwarming story of how two boys, born in Stourbridge and Halesowen respectively, have taken the journey to such prominence and importance.
Rogers took the more scenic route to the top, starting at West Bromwich Albion, before moving to Manchester City, where he had loan spells at Lincoln City, Bournemouth and Blackpool before joining Middlesbrough in July 2023.
He impressed so much on Teesside that Villa manager Unai Emery made it his personal business to sign Rogers, clinching a deal on 1 February 2024, for a reported £8m – potentially rising to £15m.
Such has been his progress at Villa, that when Chelsea were linked with a move in the summer, Rogers was regarded as a player who could potentially be placed in the £100m bracket.
Bellingham’s journey has been more direct, from his beloved Birmingham City to Borussia Dortmund then Real Madrid – where he claimed the major prizes of La Liga and the Champions League in his first season.
Now they have their sights set on arriving together at next summer’s World Cup in Canada, Mexico and the United States – but who will wear England’s treasured number 10 shirt?
