Lionel Messi has curious England anomaly on his incredible career CV

Lionel Messi is a World Cup champion, a four-time UEFA Champions League and an eight-time Ballon d’Or winner – yet somehow, the Argentine has never faced England at international level.

Across 179 appearances for Argentina, Messi has scored 106 goals and registered 56 assists, leading his nation to Copa America and World Cup glory. While Messi has dominated football for over 15 years, he has never represented Argentina in a clash with England.

The two nations share a highly competitive rivalry, where sport and politics are intertwined. Argentina and England have played 14 games against one another in history, but the last time they clashed was back in November 2005.

The friendly finished 3-2 in favour of England, but Messi was not on the field. He had recently made his debut for Argentina, earning a red card just 40 seconds after coming off the bench against Hungary for catching a defender with an unfortunate elbow.

As a result, Messi was suspended for the loss to England. Some 18 years later, the deific Inter Miami forward is still yet to face the native country of club owner David Beckham.

England and Argentina clashes have produced a host of memorable moments throughout the years, from Diego Maradona’s world-class solo goal and ‘Hand of God’ in 1986 to Beckham’s red card in 1998. According to recent reports, Messi could finally get his chance to face England at Wembley Stadium.

Argentina last travelled to Wembley for a goalless draw in February 2000. Messi has enjoyed several terrific performances at the iconic stadium, scoring in the 3-1 Champions League final win over Manchester United back in 2011 while he inspired Argentina to a 3-0 victory over Italy in the Finalissima in June 2022.

Given Messi’s popularity and age, Argentina are reportedly charging a £3.9 million appearance fee for friendlies, cashing in on his status as one of the game’s greats in the latter stages of his career. However, FA chief executive Mark Bullingham recently insisted cost is not an issue as he looks to schedule a clash between the Three Lions and the World Cup champions.

“The money is not the challenge,” Bullingham said. “We actually have relatively few friendly opportunities now if you look at the way the international calendar is structured, but it [Argentina] is a game we would like to get on at some point, for sure.”

Bullingham added: “There are various conversations we have had with lots of countries about friendlies against them. [Argentina] are one of the countries we have spoken to at some point, but there is nothing in the pipeline for them at this stage.”