England’s games against Serbia and Albania – which wrap up their World Cup Qualifiers – may be dead ends, but they will be crucial in deciding who will start in the key spot when the tournament begins.
Rogers revealed the extent of his friendship with Bellingham when he said: “I don’t remember it, but apparently he came on my fifth birthday.”
They are often seen together in England duty and Rogers said before: “It is so much better, that I also know that I can share these moments.
“My mom knows her parents very well, to do with work and things. We are always around each other, playing against each other in the academies.
“That in the first under-15 camp together, both from Birmingham, we were different from each other.
“We grew up maybe five minutes apart from each other. We had rivals, me at West Brom and him at Birmingham City.”
Bellingham and Rogers ride each other in the fight for a place, along with fodens, but it is another inspiring story of how to travel with such promotion and importance.
Rogers took a more glamorous route up, starting with West Bromwich Albion, before moving on to Mancholn City, Bournemouth and Blackpool before joining Middlesbrough in July 2023.
He impressed so much on Teesside that Villa Manager Esiai Emery made it his personal business to sign Rogers on 1 February 2024, for a reported £8m –
Such was his progress at Villa, that when Chelsea were linked with a move in the summer, Rogers was considered a player who could be placed in the £100m bracket.
Bellingham’s journey was more direct, from his beloved Birmingham City to Borussia Dorsmund then Real Madrid – where he claimed the top prizes of La Liga and the champions league in his first season.
Now they have their sights set on the next World Cup with Canada, Mexico and the United States – but who will wear England’s number 10 shirt?