Jude Bellingham opens up on Morgan Rogers relationship as pals fight for England place

Jude Bellingham says his Black Country roots helps ensure there is no “ill-feeling” any time pal Morgan Rogers is picked ahead of him for England.

The childhood friends are battling each other for a starting place in next week’s World Cup opener against Croatia.

Villa star Rogers, from Halesowen, was the only player to feature in all eight of England’s qualifiers while Real Madrid’s Bellingham, from Stourbridge, played in only four.

But on an appearance together on the Lions’ Den podcast at the Three Lions’ training base, the pair expressed their mutual admiration, with Bellingham explaining the self-confidence which has seen them both flourish in their careers.

“If people could relate to it and understand it, they’d be in our shoes,” he said.

“We have to understand that the reason why we are here is part of that self-confidence.

“That self-confidence is why we are here. What point would it be to stop that now and be like everyone else?

“There is that element of self-confidence where people from Birmingham, West Midlands, Stourbridge, West Bromwich, Halesowen, everyone has the swagger and fancies themselves at what they do, which is important.

“It’s a perfect description of our relationship. The manager has made it clear when he has spoken that we are playing for the same position and I know that has eased off as he’s seen me playing in more positions and Morgs playing in more positions, but I honestly have no ill-feeling when he is playing and I’m not playing and that is a representative of where we are from.

“Because I just felt if a group of people have something to achieve something really special, you always let them go and support them.”

Bellingham, who is playing in his third major tournament, also opened up on some of the difficulties he experienced at Euro 2024, saying he felt “a bit like the scapegoat”.

England were beaten by Spain in the final but played poorly for much of the competition and Bellingham believes they got things “a little bit wrong” off the pitch.

He said: “I don’t think the group connected as well as it could have for a number of reasons, with the people there.

“Expectation is part of it – we had done well in 2018, Qatar and the Euros both times.

“When it came to that tournament (Euro 2024), we were seen as one of the two or three teams that should win it. We weren’t playing particularly, well which doesn’t help. When we were winning you didn’t get the feeling we were as happy as we should be.”

“There has to be that element of relentlessness where you want to win, but in football when you win that goes out of the system very quickly and I think we should have held on to that feeling more. So everyone has to be ready.

“Everyone has to feel loved, everyone has to feel they are playing a part in the team. And just to enjoy the sessions, games and when we are suffering in games when your backs are against the wall.”