Even at 39, Lionel Messi can still hurt England with his sprinting ability
FIFA WC26
1-2
Finished
1-2
Finished
Squads
England squad
- Full squad
-
1 Jordan PICKFORD
Goalkeeper -
2 Ezri KONSA
Defender -
3 Nico OREILLY
Defender -
4 Declan RICE
Midfielder -
5 John STONES
Defender -
6 Marc GUEHI
Defender -
7 Bukayo SAKA
Forward -
8 Elliot ANDERSON
Midfielder -
9 Harry KANE
Forward -
10 Jude BELLINGHAM
Midfielder -
11 Marcus RASHFORD
Forward -
12 Trevoh CHALOBAH
Defender -
13 Dean Henderson
Goalkeeper -
14 Jordan HENDERSON
Midfielder -
15 Dan BURN
Defender -
16 Kobbie MAINOO
Midfielder -
17 Morgan ROGERS
Midfielder -
18 Anthony GORDON
Forward -
19 Ollie WATKINS
Forward -
20 Noni MADUEKE
Forward -
21 Eberechi EZE
Midfielder -
22 Ivan TONEY
Forward -
23 James TRAFFORD
Goalkeeper -
24 Reece JAMES
Defender -
25 Djed SPENCE
Defender -
26 Jarell QUANSAH
Defender
Argentina squad
- Full squad
-
1 Juan MUSSO
Goalkeeper -
2 Marcos SENESI
Defender -
3 Nicolas TAGLIAFICO
Defender -
4 Gonzalo MONTIEL
Defender -
5 Leandro PAREDES
Midfielder -
6 Lisandro MARTINEZ
Defender -
7 Rodrigo DE PAUL
Midfielder -
8 Valentin BARCO
Midfielder -
9 Julian ALVAREZ
Forward -
10 Lionel MESSI
Forward -
11 Giovani Lo Celso
Midfielder -
12 Geronimo RULLI
Goalkeeper -
13 Cristian ROMERO
Defender -
14 Exequiel PALACIOS
Midfielder -
15 Nico GONZALEZ
Midfielder -
16 Thiago ALMADA
Forward -
17 Giuliano SIMEONE
Forward -
18 Nico PAZ
Forward -
19 Nicolas OTAMENDI
Defender -
20 Alexis MAC ALLISTER
Midfielder -
21 Jose Manuel LOPEZ
Forward -
22 Lautaro MARTINEZ
Forward -
23 Emiliano MARTINEZ
Goalkeeper -
24 Enzo FERNANDEZ
Midfielder -
25 Facundo MEDINA
Defender -
26 Nahuel MOLINA
Defender
The Argentina captain conserves his energy for bursts in key moments and his top speed compares favourably with his contemporaries England’s defenders will face an extreme challenge when they come up against Lionel Messi in their World Cup semi-final. It is not just that he is the greatest player of all time but the almost…