There are very few things that Lionel Messi hasn’t done in his illustrious 22-year career.
But Wednesday night’s colossal World Cup semi-final showdown between England and Argentina will be the first time Messi has played against the Three Lions despite amassing 205 caps for the South American giants.
The two fierce rivals have not faced each other since a friendly in Geneva, Switzerland, in 2005.
Messi was suspended for that game, having been sent off with a straight red card in Argentina’s previous match against Hungary.
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Incredibly, the clash with Hungary was Messi’s international debut for Argentina, and even more remarkably, the red card came just under a minute after the then 18-year-old entered the pitch as a substitute.
The game in Switzerland was won by England, who scored twice in the final four minutes through Michael Owen to complete a dramatic turnaround after Argentina had twice led in the match.
Since then, the luck of the draw and early eliminations at major tournaments have kept the two teams apart.
The closest they have come since then to playing against one another at a World Cup was in 2010, when England would have played Argentina in the quarter-finals had the Three Lions beaten Germany in the Round of 16.
There was also a near-miss in 2022, when Argentina played Italy in the Finalissima at Wembley.
The game pitted the Copa America 2021 winners against the Euro 2021 champions, meaning England would have contested the match against Argentina had they not lost against Italy in the Euros final on penalties.
While the two countries have not faced each other at a major tournament since Messi’s debut, there is nothing to say they couldn’t have organised a friendly game between them in the years since.
However, for whatever reason – perhaps in part because of the off-field hostilities between the two nations – a friendly game has failed to materialise.
Messi: ‘It’s going to be a special match’
Messi, who has scored 125 times for Argentina, is relishing the opportunity to finally have a date with England.
‘The truth is, yes, it is always special to play against the big teams,’ Messi said after the quarter-final win over Switzerland.
‘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.
‘Now we’ll rest and prepare for that. We’ve come from a lot of effort, playing a long game and, well, sometimes it shows.’
The eight-time Ballon d’Or winner added: ‘Obviously, everything I saw and remember is from videos and images that Argentinians constantly watch and relive [from 1986]. But I think this group is used to playing football matches regardless of the opponent.
‘Obviously, playing against England is special because they are a powerhouse, and matches against powerhouses are always special.
‘Personally, it’s the first time I’m going to play against them. I’ve played against everyone except England, so it’s going to be nice for that reason too.
‘And to experience it for what it is – a World Cup semi-final against a powerhouse, a great team, and we will try to arrive in the best possible shape to compete again.
Storied World Cup history
The last time England played Argentina in a competitive match was at the 2002 World Cup.
The group stage game in Japan was won by England courtesy of a penalty by David Beckham, after Michael Owen was brought down in the box by future Tottenham and Chelsea manager Mauricio Pochettino.
England’s win was something of a revenge for the events of the previous four years, when Argentina beat the Three Lions on penalties in the Round of 16 stage of the 1998 World Cup.
The game is infamous for Beckham being given a straight red card for kicking out against Diego Simeone while lying on the floor shortly after half-time.
Another history-defining game between the two came in the quarter-finals of the 1986 World Cup, with Diego Maradona scoring a brace to dump England out of the tournament.
The Maradona goals are unquestionably two of the most iconic ever scored in football history.
The first, the ‘Hand of God’, was followed by the ‘Goal of the Century’; Maradona picked the ball up in his own half and carried it 50 yards up the pitch before rounding Peter Shilton to double Argentina’s lead.
The game at the Azteca was a reversal of the result from the quarter-final of the 1966 World Cup, which England won 1-0 on their way to winning the tournament on home soil.
The first World Cup meeting between England and Argentina, meanwhile, was in the group stage of the 1962 edition, which England won 3-1.
In total, England lead the head-to-head record with four wins compared to Argentina’s two.