‘If you’re at your happiest, smiling and working as hard as you can, then there’s nothing more you can give’ How Aston Villa star Morgan Rogers has developed a winning mindset

Morgan Rogers celebrates with his arms across his chest after scoring the first goal for Aston Villa during the Premier League match against Nottingham Forest in Birmingham, England on 5 April, 2025.
Morgan Rogers has excelled since his move to Aston Villa (Image credit: Alamy)

The issue of how to judge a player has never been more complicated.

In an age of algorithms, AI and more stats than the average supporter can comprehend, every single action that a player makes on the pitch is scrutinised more than ever.

Rogers on developing his mindset

LONDON, ENGLAND - OCTOBER 09: Morgan Rogers of England celebrates scoring his team's first goal during the International Friendly between England and Wales at Wembley Stadium on October 09, 2025 in London, England. (Photo by Eddie Keogh - The FA/The FA via Getty Images)

Rogers scored his first goal for England earlier this season when he struck against Wales (Image credit: Getty Images)

“To get to where you are, I like to think you do more than just the individual action that people see,” Rogers explains to FourFourTwo.

“It’s more of a period of time, as opposed to a specific goal that you scored – more of a feeling, more of an emotion.

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For the former West Brom and Manchester City hopeful, development is about more than a YouTube highlight reel or a positive Footmob rating.

“Hard work and a smile, it’s something so simple,” he continues, placing more importance on habits and vibes.

“People try to build it up as, ‘It can be this, it can be that’, or, ‘You’ve got to improve this and improve that’. I think it comes back to how you feel when you go out there, the feeling you have when you play the game.”

It is a philosophy that values habit-forming and places as much importance on effort as it does outcome.

“If you’re at your happiest, smiling and working as hard as you can, then there’s nothing more you can give. You go home feeling you’ve done everything and you can live with the result of whether you’re good enough or not.”

Morgan Rogers

Rogers has netted eight times and laid on five assists in the Premier League this term (Image credit: Getty Images)

What is key for the 12-time England international is ensuring that emotions do not get the better of you.

“When your mind takes you elsewhere and you’re maybe not applying yourself because you’re upset or disappointed, that’s where a problem can come from within,” he adds. “If you give your all and you’re smiling, your best naturally comes out.”

Rogers was speaking at PUMA’s new store on Oxford Street in London, the brand’s first European flagship store.

Joe Mewis

For more than a decade, Joe Mewis has worked in football journalism as a reporter and editor. Mewis has had stints at Mirror Football and LeedsLive among others and worked at FourFourTwo throughout Euro 2024, reporting on the tournament. In addition to his journalist work, Mewis is also the author of four football history books that include times on Leeds United and the England national team. Now working as a digital marketing coordinator at Harrogate Town, too, Mewis counts some of his best career moments as being in the iconic Spygate press conference under Marcelo Bielsa and seeing his beloved Leeds lift the Championship trophy during lockdown.

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