Yesterday, we discussed numbers 4, 5 and 6 in the list of those former Imps who have gone on to achieve great things in their careers.
Cult hero Gareth Ainsworth was joined by Gary Taylor-Fletcher, who played in the top flight with Blackpool, and by a man who tore the league’s best defences apart while with Coventry City, Darren Huckerby.
In the second part of that countdown, we run the rule over players who have won European honours and featured on football’s grandest stages.
3- Gareth McAuley
Gareth McAuley’s stellar career was topped off by scoring at Euro 2016, as Northern Ireland made it out for the group stages before losing to Wales in the Round of 16.
Joining the Imps from Coleraine, the towering centre back played a huge role in an incredible underdog story that so nearly ended in glory. City went from the brink of closure to five successive playoff campaigns and two losing playoff finals.
After defeat in the 2005-06 playoffs, McAuley left Sincil Bank for Championship side Leicester City before moving again in 2008 to divisional rivals Ipswich Town.
McAuley remained at Portman Road for three seasons and close to 130 matches before getting his Premier League break with West Bromwich Albion.
During his seven seasons at the Hawthorns, the Glenoe-born defender helped the Albion to three top ten finishes and played over 200 top-flight matches under several different managers.
He finished his club career with a short stint at boyhood club Glasgow Rangers before hanging up his boots and heading into coaching.
McAuley hit great heights on the international stage too, helping Northern Ireland qualify for their very first European Championships in 2016 and scoring in their 2-0 win over Ukraine in Lyon to help his side progress from the group.
With 80 caps and nine international goals to his name and over 200 Premier League appearances, Gareth McAuley would have taken second spot on my list had it not been for Brennan Johnson claiming another European trophy on Wednesday night.
2- Brennan Johnson
Brennan Johnson came to Lincoln City as a 19-year-old heading out on his first loan from Nottingham Forest at the start of one of English football’s most bizarre seasons.
Johnson has been around the Forest first team but sought regular action for the 2020-21 behind-closed-doors campaign, being convinced by Michael Appleton that Sincil Bank was the right place for him.
And so it proved, with the pacey attacker adding 10 goals and assisting a further five in League One, before missing out on promotion in heartbreaking fashion by losing the playoff final.
Since then, it has been quite the rise for the Welsh international. His international debut came during his time in LN5, and he has made two big-money transfers.
Johnson would leave Forest for Tottenham Hotspur in a £47.5 million deal in September 2023, shortly after Harry Kane had departed for Bayern Munich.
The 2024-25 season was an impressive one for Johnson on a personal level despite his club’s struggles. He had 16 Premier League goal involvements and a further six in the Europa League, including the goal that won Spurs their trophy forever and got them back in the Champions League.
Despite that impressive season, Johnson was allowed to make the £35 million move to Crystal Palace in January and now has two European trophies to his name. Gareth McAuley was going to take second place on this list until Palace’s victory over Rayo Vallecano.
1 – Morgan Rogers
Morgan Rogers’ recent inclusion in the England World Cup squad cemented his spot at number one in this list, with the Aston Villa man’s career taking off after a fruitful loan spell with the Imps.
The attacker joined Michael Appleton’s Lincoln City on loan from Manchester City and contributed to a promotion challenge, helping the club to the playoff final, where they lost to Blackpool.
His career stalled a little with some loan moves that didn’t work out, but he hit his stride after signing permanently for Middlesbrough in the summer of 2023.
An £8 million move to Villa catapulted Rogers into the top flight and onto the international scene, making his England debut in November 2024, and he has earned 13 caps to date.
Rogers provides a great threat for Villa, contributing 60 goal involvements from his 125 outings, including one against Freiburg in Istanbul last week. His form sees him constantly linked with clubs like Manchester United, Chelsea and Bayern Munich and is valued at around £80 million.
The 23-year-old is likely to be among the substitutes for England this summer, but will have two opportunities to impress Thomas Tuchel in two friendlies against New Zealand and Costa Rica and would expect to get a World Cup start in the last group game versus Panama.
A positive summer for Rogers could send him into a different stratosphere when it comes to the careers of former Lincoln City players.