Lionel Messi vs England is a rare career first

Lionel Messi goes into Argentina's World Cup semi-final in Atlanta on Wednesday with one of the oddest gaps on his international CV still open. He has never faced England in international colours, and he made clear that this meeting feels different for him and for the Argentina camp. Argentina reach the last four after beating Switzerland 3-1 after extra time in the quarter-finals.

Messi's first meeting with England

Messi put the history in simple terms. "Everything I have seen and remember [about Argentina vs. England from 1986] is from videos and images that Argentinians constantly watch and relive," he told goal.com. He then added: "Obviously, playing against England is special because they are a powerhouse. Personally, it's the first time I'm going to play against them. I've played against everyone except England, so it will be nice for that reason too."

That gives the semi-final a very specific frame. This is not about novelty for its own sake, but about a player who has spent his career meeting almost everyone and now gets one of the few absences filled in on the biggest stage left in front of him.

Argentina's captain still has elite output

The old memory is part of the story, but so is the present level. Messi has 8 goals in the tournament, tied with Kylian Mbappé for the lead, and his 9.2 tournament rating points to more than just finishing. He has played 6 matches and logged 552 minutes, which is a heavy workload for an Argentina side that keeps leaning on him.

Messi's scoring streak ended against Switzerland in the quarter-finals after consecutive World Cup scoring appearances, but that does not make the England game any less relevant. It just means Argentina arrive with their captain still producing at a serious level, not coasting on reputation.

The semi-final does not settle his place in the tournament, and it does not need to. It simply adds an opponent he has never had on the international stage, in a match that starts on Wednesday in Atlanta.