England's semi-final build-up has been shaped by Lionel Messi, and Nico O'Reilly is not hiding his admiration. The left-back called it “a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity” and said Messi is “the best player to ever touch a football pitch”. Jordan Pickford then pointed out the obvious but important correction: England cannot make the plan about one player alone.

O'Reilly's view of Messi

O'Reilly's quote is blunt enough to stand on its own. “He's coming towards the end of his career,” he said, before adding that he cannot wait for the challenge. It is the sort of comment that tells you England are treating this as a serious football problem, not just a name on the teamsheet.

Messi has already done enough in this tournament to justify that respect. He began it with a hat-trick in a 3-0 win against Algeria, has 21 World Cup goals, which is the all-time record, and is joint-first in the Golden Boot race with eight goals alongside Kylian Mbappe. He has reached those eight goals in six World Cup appearances in 2026, across 552 minutes.

Pickford's warning sits neatly beside that. “We all know how good Messi is but we also know how good Argentina are. We can't solely rely on [stopping] Messi,” he said.

Argentina's wider threat

That is the sensible part of England's message. Argentina have won all five of their last five World Cup matches, while England have won four of their last five. The gap in recent form is not huge in isolation, but it does add weight to Pickford's point that the semi-final will not turn on one marking job.

Thomas Tuchel has plenty to like about O'Reilly's role too, because the left-back has made five starts in six World Cup games before the Norway quarter-final. He has been trusted, and this semi-final looks like another test of whether that trust holds up against elite opposition.

The focus on Messi will be unavoidable, because he usually forces it there. England's better argument is not that they can erase him, but that they can survive him and handle the rest of Argentina as well. That is the more realistic way to approach a player who has already produced eight goals in six games.

The semi-final now brings that challenge into direct view, with England's next task shaped by whether O'Reilly can live with the assignment and whether Pickford's wider warning proves the more important one on the day.

Written by Jack Mercer with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 2 outlets. How we work →