Lionel Messi will finally play against England for the first time in his 205-cap international career when Argentina face the Three Lions in the 2026 World Cup semi-final on Wednesday night. The two nations have not met since a friendly in Geneva, Switzerland, in 2005, a match Messi missed due to suspension after being sent off on his Argentina debut against Hungary.
Messi's red card debut
Messi's international debut came against Hungary, where he received a straight red card less than a minute after coming on as a substitute. That suspension ruled him out of the 2005 friendly against England, which England won 3-2 with two late goals from Michael Owen. Since then, the teams have avoided each other in major tournaments due to draw luck and early eliminations.
Near misses at major tournaments
The closest they came to meeting was at the 2010 World Cup, where England would have faced Argentina in the quarter-finals had they beaten Germany in the round of 16. In 2022, Argentina faced Italy in the Finalissima at Wembley, a match that would have been against England if the Three Lions had not lost the Euro 2021 final to Italy on penalties.
Messi relishes the occasion
Messi, who has scored 125 goals for Argentina, said: 'The truth is, yes, it is always special to play against the big teams. It never happened to me against England, it’s the first time, so it’s going to be a special match, a World Cup semi-final.' He added: 'Obviously, playing against England is special because they are a powerhouse, and matches against powerhouses are always special.'
Storied World Cup history
The last competitive meeting was at the 2002 World Cup, where England won 1-0 thanks to a David Beckham penalty. In 1998, Argentina eliminated England on penalties in the round of 16, a game infamous for Beckham's red card. The most iconic clash was the 1986 quarter-final, where Diego Maradona scored the 'Hand of God' and the 'Goal of the Century' to knock England out. England lead the overall head-to-head four wins to two.
How to stop Messi?
Former England captain Bryan Robson suggested man-marking Messi: 'Could Djed Spence do a job on Lionel Messi? He could, so long as he keeps control of himself and doesn’t try any reckless tackles. ... Could Declan Rice shut him down? The only thing with putting a player on to man mark someone is that you then lose them from the other side of the game.'
