Lionel Messi will face England for the first time in his international career when Argentina takes on the Three Lions in Wednesday’s FIFA World Cup semifinal.
The 39-year-old captain, who recently earned his 200th appearance for Argentina during the group stage victory over Algeria, is hoping to guide the reigning champions to another World Cup final.
Messi’s international journey began in 2005 when he made his senior debut under José Pekerman in a friendly against Hungary. He was sent off less than two minutes after coming on as a substitute and later missed a scheduled friendly against England through suspension. Since then, Argentina and England have not met, making Wednesday’s encounter his first against the Three Lions.
Speaking after Argentina’s quarter-final victory over Switzerland, Messi described the fixture as a special occasion, saying England is one of football’s major nations and that facing them in a World Cup semi-final makes the challenge even more significant.
The match also revives memories of the famous 1986 World Cup quarterfinal, when Diego Maradona inspired Argentina to victory over England with the “Hand of God” goal and his unforgettable solo effort widely regarded as one of the greatest goals in World Cup history.
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Messi, who led Argentina to World Cup glory four years ago, now hopes to leave his own lasting mark against England. He heads into the semi-final as the tournament’s leading World Cup goalscorer, with 21 goals from a record 32 World Cup appearances, one more than France captain Kylian Mbappe.
Although he failed to score in the quarter-final against Switzerland, Julian Alvarez and his teammates ensured Argentina progressed to the last four.
Victory over England would send Argentina into a third World Cup final in four tournaments and keep alive their bid to become the first nation since Brazil in 1962 to successfully defend the World Cup title.
Messi said reaching another World Cup semi-final is not something to take for granted and urged his teammates to enjoy the moment.
England defender Nico O’Reilly also acknowledged the significance of the occasion, describing Messi as the greatest player ever to play the game and saying he is looking forward to the challenge of facing the Argentine captain.
