15 July,2026 09:14 AM IST | Kansas City (USA) | Agencies
Argentina skipper Lionel Messi during their win over Switzerland in Kansas City last week. Pics/AFP
As Team England prepare to face Lionel Messi for the first time ever, in Tuesday's mouthwatering World Cup quarter-final, the mercurial Argentine skipper clearly seems to have become their obsession.
Almost every English footballer - past or present - has something to say about Argentina's World Cup-winning captain and super striker.
England goalkeeper Jordan Pickford is confident his team will keep their cool against Messi and Argentina.
"Everyone will talk about Messi because he's one of the GOATs [greatest of all time] of the game. But you can't look past the ability and the talent we've got in our squad - going forward, defensively, togetherness. We've got it all there and that's what we need to put on show on Wednesday. We all know how good Messi is, but we also know how good Argentina are. We can't solely rely on [stopping] Messi. We've got to focus on their other strengths and weaknesses," England's Everton goalkeeper Pickford said on match eve here.
England's left-back Nico O'Reilly, who is one of the deep defenders charged with having to mark Messi one-on-one, is looking forward to this "once-in-a-lifetime opportunity."
"I can't wait. It's a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. He [Messi] is coming towards the end of his career. For me, he's the best player to ever touch a football pitch," O'Reilly told BBC. Messi has scored 21 goals in 32 World Cup appearances.
Former England star Joe Cole has boldly claimed that the Three Lions will put Lionel Messi to bed. "We will have to put Lionel Messi to bed. We're going to put him to bed. We are, 100 per cent. I'm saying it now, England are going to the World Cup final, we've got too much pace for Argentina and we're going to beat them, I feel it in my bones," Cole told The Rest is Football podcast.
Meanwhile, another England international-turned-football-pundit Jamie Carragher, believes England should exploit Messi's defensive vulnerabilities. "There has to be a plan. I don't think it will be a man-marking job, but they need a plan. Also, they should be thinking about how they can exploit Messi. He walks about when the opposition have got the ball, so that doesn't mean England's left-back should stand next to him for the whole of the game. They can exploit the fact that Argentina only defend with nine outfield players," Carragher said.
8
No. of goals Lionel Messi has scored so far across six matches at this ongoing World Cup
17
No. of goals scored by Argentina in the ongoing FIFA World Cup - the most by any team
21
No. of years since Argentina last faced England - in a friendly in 2005
Lionel Messi vs Harry Kane
Both are leading goalscorers for their sides in the tournament with Messi scoring eight times and England captain Kane netting six goals. Both teams will be banking on their respective skippers to deliver the goods once again in the penultimate round.
Julian Alvarez vs Jude Bellingham
The battle of the rising stars who are in red hot form. Alvarez scored a screamer in Argentina's late win over Switzerland in the quarter-final, while Bellingham has scored a brace in each of England's previous two wins (over Mexico and Norway). They will hope to create the same impact tonight.
Emiliano Martinez vs Jordan Pickford
Argentine goalkeeper Martinez is known for his antics and mind games in penalty shootouts, which he used in the previous edition to get under the skin of France in the final. England's Pickford was good too, in their 3-2 win over Mexico despite being a man down in the last-16 match. Both goalkeepers have two clean sheets each and have conceded six goals apiece so far. Their shot-stopping will be decisive given the attacking talent on both sides.
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