Lionel Messi Prepares to Face England for the First Time in International Career
England reached the World Cup semi-finals this week following a victory over Norway. Thomas Tuchel’s side now prepares to face Argentina on Wednesday.
For 39-year-old Lionel Messi, the match marks a rare milestone as he prepares to face an opponent he has never encountered in his 21-year international career.
Messi narrowly missed a chance to play against England during a 2005 friendly, sidelined by a red-card suspension. The eight-time Ballon d’Or winner has competed against every other team in the FIFA top-10, with the exception of Morocco and Argentina, scoring against six of the seven opponents he has faced.
The forward expressed his anticipation for the upcoming clash.
“Facing England will be special,” Messi said, as reported by Fabrizio Romano. “It’s my first time playing against England. I’ve played against just about everyone except them.”
“They are a great team, a football powerhouse, it’s always exciting to face opponents like that.”
Because Messi has never faced England, Arsenal’s four England internationals—Bukayo Saka, Declan Rice, Noni Madueke, and Eberechi Eze—will also meet him on the pitch for the first time.
Arsenal returned to the Champions League in 2023, the same summer Messi departed PSG for Inter Miami. Previously, the closest these players came to facing him was during the Club World Cup, where Madueke’s Chelsea side did not cross paths with Inter Miami.
Wednesday’s semi-final represents a significant occasion for the Arsenal quartet.
Messi’s record against FIFA’s top-10 ranked teams
