HE may have scored goals for a dozen different football clubs and travelled the world during his career but it was in Derbyshire where Roger Davies made his name and his home.

From the moment he made his debut for Derby County in the early 1970s to the verdicts he gives on their matches for the Derby Telegraph today, the former striker has never been able to let go of the Rams.

Roger came to the city when he was 21 and, despite playing professionally across England, Belgium and America, he picked Hatton as the place to settle.

Now 58, he still loves being involved with Derby County because of what he sees as the city's passion for football.

And he says living in the county is made pleasant by its friendly people.

He believes it is these two factors that could prove crucial in Derby's bid to host the football World Cup.

He said: "Derby is an easy choice when it comes to choosing host cities for this tournament because it is ready for the challenge and its bid clearly shows this.

"There is no need for a new stadium, because Pride Park would only need an extension and Derby County has the structure in place to cope with the tournament's demands.

"These kind of things often go to the same places and the same cities but, actually, I can't see why Derby and Derbyshire should not be considered one of these.

"On top of everything else, the city not only loves its football but also its records and its history and it looks after its old players.

"If the World Cup comes here, the people would make the most of its memories and its legacy for decades to come, just like they do with the Rams now."

Derby is one of 16 cities competing for the right to stage World Cup matches in either 2018 or 2022.

But the Football Association, which is compiling England's bid to host the tournament, is only looking for 12 venues.

The decision on which cities will be included in England's campaign will be made in December, before the FA presents the country's case to football's world governing body, FIFA.

The FA has already paid two visits to Derby to assess its case. The first inspection took place in July and the second last month.

Roger, who played for Derby County between 1971 and 1976 and again between 1979 and 1980, scored 34 goals in 136 appearances for the club.

He said: "One thing which really backs up Derby's bid is the number of former players who, despite not coming from the area originally, have chosen to make their home here.

"Myself, Roy McFarland, Archie Gemmill – we're all ex-players who think this place is brilliant and would love to see the World Cup come here.

"And all the reasons why we are attracted to Derby and Derbyshire are exactly the same reasons why the World Cup organisers should be too."

Derby's bid team includes representatives from Derby County, the city and county councils, Marketing Derby and the University of Derby.

They have submitted a preliminary tournament bid to the FA, in the form of a 230-page document.

The final bid will be submitted in November.

A decision on which countries will host both the 2018 and 2022 World Cup competitions will be made in December 2010.

Roger said: "Having the status of a city which is going to host the World Cup really gives it the edge and that touch of prestige because it really is the biggest sporting event out there.

"The fame and prosperity that could come with Derby's image being on millions of televisions across the world could be incredible.

"And people can't help thinking that they want to come back to places if they get a good first impression. When I travelled to different cities to play football, I often thought: 'I must come back here.'

"It would be such a major thing for Derby to receive recognition for hosting the World Cup."

Other cities staking a claim for World Cup matches are Birmingham, Bristol, Hull, Leeds, Leicester, Liverpool, London, Manchester, Milton Keynes, Newcastle and Gateshead, Nottingham, Plymouth, Portsmouth, Sheffield and Sunderland.