Jude Bellingham and Morgan Rogers have a friendly rivalry in England – but who will come out on top?

England’s matches against Serbia and Albania – which conclude their World Cup qualifiers – may be a dead rubber, with qualification guaranteed, but they are hugely important when it comes to deciding who will be playing in that key zone when the tournament gets underway.

Rogers revealed the extent of his friendship with Billingham when he said: “I don’t remember, but apparently he came to my fifth birthday party.”

They are often seen together on England duty, and Rogers has previously said: “It’s made it even more enjoyable, sharing the pitch with him again. It’s very nice, knowing that I can share these moments with him and that he feels happy and proud too.”

“My mum knows his parents really well, in terms of work and stuff. We’ve always been around each other, playing against each other in academies.

“Being in the first under-15 camp together, and both from Birmingham, we kind of stuck together.

“We grew up probably five minutes away from each other. We were kind of rivals, me at West Brom and him at Birmingham City.”

Bellingham and Rogers have pitted against each other in the fight for a place, alongside Foden, but it is still a moving story of how two boys, born in Stourbridge and Halesowen respectively, made the journey to such fame and importance.

Rogers took the most scenic route to the top, starting at West Bromwich Albion, before moving to Manchester City, where he spent loan spells at Lincoln City, Bournemouth and Blackpool before joining Middlesbrough in July 2023.

He has impressed so much on Teesside that Villa manager Unai Emery has made it his personal business to sign Rogers, sealing a deal on February 1, 2024, for £8m – potentially rising to £15m.

Such was the progress he made at Villa, that when Chelsea were linked with a move in the summer, Rogers was seen as a player who could be placed in the £100m bracket.

Bellingham’s journey was more direct, from his beloved Birmingham to Borussia Dortmund and then Real Madrid – where he claimed major trophies in La Liga and the Champions League in his first season.

Now they have their sights set on reaching the World Cup finals together next summer in Canada, Mexico and the United States, but who will wear the precious English No. 10 shirt?