‘Never’ – Aston Villa star Morgan Rogers sends England teammate Jude Bellingham stark warning
Morgan Rogers and Jude Bellingham have been embroiled in a friendly rivalry since they were teenagers.
Aston Villa midfielder Morgan Rogers has warned Real Madrid superstar and England teammate Jude Bellingham about a potential upcoming meeting between the pair in the UEFA Champions League.
Madrid have a good chance of beating Arsenal in the last eight but Villa face a tall order nudging past Paris Saint-Germain over two legs. Nonetheless, if Villa and Madrid do meet in the last four, it could set up an entertaining affair.
Rogers, who boasts the fact Birmingham City academy graduate Bellingham has never beaten him in a professional fixture, believes Villa Park would create a hostile atmosphere for the box-to-box midfielder, owing to Villa’s intense rivalry with Bellingham’s boyhood club.
“Jude Bellingham? I don’t think he’d enjoy going to Villa Park much,” Rogers said via The Mirror. “He’s played everywhere but he’s never played at Villa Park. Yeah, that would be good. We’ve obviously got a tie, he’s got a tie, that we’ve got to get through first.”
Looking ahead to the challenge Villa face in the next round, Rogers added: “PSG are one of the best teams I’ve seen this season, they blew everyone away against Liverpool, so that will be some game, some tie. I’m looking forward to it. They’re the games you want to play in as a footballer.”
Morgan Rogers and Jude Bellingham go well back
As Rogers grew up in Halesowen and Bellingham hails from the nearby Stourbridge, the pair were often in the same footballing circles as teenagers. That time together then extended to academy football with West Bromwich Albion and Birmingham City, before international duty with England’s youth ranks, developing a tasty but friendly rivalry along the way.
Rogers and Bellingham share memories aplenty and there are a fair few bragging rights between them, dating back to many years ago. Yet more could soon be formed if Villa and Madrid do indeed face up against one another at the Santiago Bernabeu and Villa Park.
Reminiscing on past times, Rogers added: “We were both in the Under-15 camp for England here. Jude was playing an age group up. And obviously before that from when I was at West Brom, playing against Birmingham, that rivalry in midfield.
“I remember there was a floodlit tournament when we were Under-15s, I think. We had Birmingham in our group so we played them home and away. I remember that one vividly, I always bring it up to him. He’s never beaten me!
“He’s always had a mouth on him! But we’ve had a really good relationship and to be with him now is really nice. Our careers and paths have been completely different but always been in contact along the journey which is really nice and always been not far from each other where we grew up. It makes it a bit sweeter. It’s really nice.”
In other news, the Villa players not selected for international duty have been put through their faces by head coach Unai Emery in Dubai, but two important stars have been absent, confirming injury fears. Read on for the full story.
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