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Lionel Messi is set to face England for the first time in his illustrious career when Argentina take on the European side in the FIFA World Cup semi-final on Wednesday in Atlanta, reports Reuters.
Despite more than two decades at the highest level, the 39-year-old has never played against England. He has faced every other World Cup-winning nation, including Brazil, Germany, Italy, Spain and France.
Argentina Football Association described the semi-final on its website as “the match fate owed Messi.”
Messi came closest to facing England in a friendly in Geneva in November 2005, the last meeting between the two nations. Argentina lost 3-2, but Messi missed the match after being sent off on his international debut against Hungary earlier that year.
“It’s special because they’re a great team, a powerhouse, and it’s always nice to play a team like that,” Messi said after Argentina’s 3-1 extra-time win over Switzerland in the quarter-finals.
“We need to recover because we’ve been through a lot physically and arrive in the best possible condition to keep competing,” he added.
Argentina reached the semi-finals after surviving three hard-fought knockout matches. They edged Cape Verde 3-2 after extra time in the round of 32, came from two goals down to beat Egypt 3-2 in the last 16, and defeated Switzerland 3-1 after extra time in the quarter-finals.
