Lionel Messi has talked about facing England for the first time, with none of Arsenal’s England internationals ever having played against him before.
Lionel Messi #10 of Argentina runs with the ball during the FIFA World Cup 2026 Quarter Final match between Argentina and Switzerland at Kansas City Stadium on July 11, 2026 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by David Ramos/Getty Images)
Photo by David Ramos/Getty Images
England’s recent victory over Norway sent them into the World Cup semi-finals this midweek, with Thomas Tuchel’s side to face Argentina on Wednesday.
Rather unusually for 39-year-old Lionel Messi, he’ll be facing an entirely new opponent, having never played against England in his 21-year international career.
Messi’s last opportunity to face England was in a friendly in 2005, but he missed the match through a red-card suspension. The eight-time ballon d’Or winner has faced every other team in FIFA’s top-10 except Morocco (and Argentina), and he’s scored against six of the seven he’s played against.
Lionel Messi #10 of Argentina acknowledges the fans before the FIFA World Cup 2026 Quarter Final match between Argentina and Switzerland at Kansas City Stadium on July 11, 2026 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by Carl Recine/Getty Images)
Photo by Carl Recine/Getty Images
The player himself is looking forward to the game, and to playing against England at long last.
“Facing England will be special,” Messi said (via 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.”
Bukayo Saka #7 and Declan Rice #4 of England react after the 4-2 win during the FIFA World Cup 2026 Group L match between England and Croatia at Dallas Stadium on June 17, 2026 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Richard Pelham/Getty Images)
Photo by Richard Pelham/Getty Images
Given Messi has never previously faced England, it perhaps shouldn’t be too surprising that Arsenal’s four England internationals (Bukayo Saka, Declan Rice, Noni Madueke, and Eberechi Eze) will all be meeting him on the pitch for the first time.
Arsenal only returned to the Champions League in 2023 after a relatively lengthy absence, the same summer that Messi left PSG for Inter Miami.
Since then, the only time any of the four players has been close to playing against Messi is when Madueke attended the Club World Cup, but Inter Miami never faced Chelsea.
Wednesday’s semi-final is certainly set to be a huge occasion for the Arsenal quartet.
Messi’s record against FIFA’s top-10 ranked teams
France: 3 appearances (3 goals, 2 assists)
Argentina: N/A
Spain: 3 appearances (2 goals)
England: –
Brazil: 14 appearances (5 goals)
Morocco: –
Portugal: 2 appearances (1 goal, 1 assist)
Belgium: 1 appearance
Netherlands: 3 appearances (1 goal, 1 assist)
Mexico: 6 appearances (4 goals, 3 assists)
argentina v australia 2023 international football invitation
Photo by Lintao Zhang/Getty Images
Lionel Messi to face Arsenal quartet for the 1st time
Lionel Messi has talked about facing England for the first time, with none of Arsenal’s England internationals ever having played against him before.
Arsenal teammates joked about facing off – now they will at World Cup
Mikel Merino admits he’s joked with Arsenal teammate William Saliba about facing off against each other, with Spain to play France in Tuesday’s World Cup semi-final.
Out of favour Arsenal midfielder could join Crystal Palace
Crystal Palace are one of the clubs interested in Christian Norgaard this summer, but the Arsenal midfielder could still choose to stay where he is.
Club set £18.7m release clause for Arsenal target
Mexico teenager Gilberto Mora is drawing interest from Arsenal and Liverpool, but he’s not going to come cheap, according to reports.
Arsenal World Cup star absent from training again
William Saliba has missed another France training session ahead of their World Cup semi-final against Spain, as he continues to follow a modified training schedule.
Related Topics