Messi vs England World Cup is a phrase that shouldn’t exist this late into a legendary career, yet here it is. Lionel Messi has played over 200 matches for Argentina and scored more than 125 goals, but he has never once stepped onto a pitch against England. That changes Wednesday in Atlanta, where a World Cup semifinal will finally deliver the missing chapter of his international story.
The two nations last met in a November 2005 friendly, which England won 3-2. Messi wasn’t part of it. He served a suspension after being sent off on his senior Argentinian debut just months earlier, and the fixture never came around again in the years since. Argentina and England nearly met at the 2010 World Cup quarterfinals, but the English lost to Germany in the round of 16 first, keeping the rivalry on pause for another cycle.
Few international rivalries carry as much weight as this one, and the Messi vs England World Cup places him directly at its center. Diego Maradona defined the 1986 meeting with both the “Hand of God” goal and a mesmerizing solo run past five English defenders. Argentina won again on penalties in 1998 after David Beckham’s red card, and England answered in 2002 with a Beckham penalty of their own. Wednesday marks the first time these two nations have met at a World Cup since that 2002 group match.
Football writer Tim Vickery said he could not imagine Messi retiring from international football without ever facing the rival Argentine fans consider their fiercest. BBC pundit Micah Richards called the challenge Messi presents unlike anything England’s back line has dealt with all tournament. Fellow analyst Chris Sutton offered a more measured view. He suggested the English shouldn’t be intimidated, since this current Argentinian side has needed late drama to survive nearly every knockout match so far.
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Both teams arrive off nail-biting extra-time wins, Argentina past Switzerland and England past Norway, and ticket demand has reportedly pushed even the cheapest seats toward $3,000. For Messi, at 39, it’s a chance to add one final missing rival to his résumé while chasing back-to-back titles. For the English, , it’s a shot at a first World Cup final since the country’s only championship in 1966. For full buildup and confirmed team news as kickoff nears, Business Standard’s semifinal preview covers the rivalry’s history in depth, while CNN’s live tournament coverage tracks reaction from both camps.
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