Why Lionel Messi has never played against England before as World Cup showdown looms

Stay up to date with notifications from The IndependentNotifications can be managed in browser preferences.Jump to contentThank you for registeringPlease refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged inAllNewsSportCultureLifestyleThe iconic Lionel Messi is set to play against England for the first time when Argentina take on the Three Lions in the World Cup semi-finals in Atalanta on Wednesday.Messi made his Argentina debut 21 years ago and has 205 caps for his country, but he has never faced England during his illustrious career.This can partly be explained by the fact that Argentina have not played England in an international fixture since November 2005, having been kept apart at major tournaments for over two decades.That November 2005 match did come after Messi’s Argentina debut, though, but he was forced to miss it while he served a one-match ban after being sent off just one minute into his international debut against Hungary three months earlier.Messi could only watch on as Michael Owen scored two late goals to seal a 3-2 friendly win for England in Geneva, Switzerland, but he will get his chance to break English hearts on Wednesday.More bulletinsThank you for registeringPlease refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in

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