Lionel Messi has scored 125 goals in more than 200 appearances for Argentina, yet in all that time he has never played against England — a historic rival of the South American side. That statistic hangs over Wednesday’s World Cup semi-final, the first meeting between the two nations with Messi on the pitch.
Messi has been in devastating form in this tournament: eight goals from six games, taking his World Cup tally to 21. He almost single-handedly carried Argentina to the 2022 title in Qatar and, four years later, has dragged them into the last four of the 2026 edition. England, meanwhile, reached the semi-final by beating Norway 2-1 in the quarter-finals, a game in which Erling Haaland — rated by Mirror readers an average of 6.7 out of 10 on a “scared scale” — was substituted off.
“Lionel Messi has never faced England despite 200+ caps, but now meets them in the World Cup semi-final.”
Jordan Pickford has warned his team-mates to stay focused on the threat Messi poses, but the goalkeeper also acknowledged that Argentina boast plenty more dangerous players beyond the little magician. The Albiceleste arrive with a team built around their captain, yet they are far from a one-man side.
For England, this is the biggest test of their World Cup campaign. Having never faced Messi, they must now find a way to stop him in a match that will decide who reaches the final. The question lingering in the air is one the Mirror put to its readers: “How scared are you of a bit of Messi magic bending Wednesday night’s result to his will?”
