There are very few things that Lionel Messi has not done on a football field. But the semi-final match between Argentina and England, which will be played on Wednesday in Atlanta, will be a totally new experience for the eight-time Ballon d'Or winner.

Despite having played more than 200 games and scored 125 goals for Argentina, Messi has never faced the Three Lions at international level.

For a few moments it looked like the 39-year-old could miss out on his first match against Thomas Tuchel's side when Switzerland appeared to have the upper hand in Saturday's quarter-final match, but Argentina ended up winning 3-1 in extra time.

Messi failed to score for the first time in this tournament in that victory, although he continues to lead the race for the Golden Boot along with Frenchman Kylian Mbappé, with eight goals, and is the top scorer in World Cup history.

"England may outspeed Argentina, but they have that little genius that is Messi. Everyone plays for him. Everyone should be excited," said BBC commentator Micah Richards.

"Marking him is impossible because he doesn't back down. He sneaks into small spaces where he really shouldn't be. He activates at the right moments [and] he has the best technique. His spatial vision is fantastic. He has a great shot.

“And most importantly, he has the same thing that Jude [Bellingham] has, and that's what makes Jude so great: he has personality and charisma.

"Messi is the footballer with the most charisma of all. Messi's charisma is on another level, so it's going to be interesting."

But should England fear the Inter Miami striker? “.

“I think Thomas Tuchel and the England players will be looking forward to facing this Argentine team as they are now, in their current form, because they are not a great Argentine team, but they do have a habit of finding a way to get ahead,” Chris Sutton said on BBC Radio 5 Live.

On BBC Sport, former England striker Wayne Rooney pointed out that, although Messi contributes little in defense, he is capable of deciding games with his quality in key moments.

“He can be a defensive weak point for Argentina,” Rooney said.

"He doesn't run backwards, but he has decisive moments, a bit like Jude Bellingham. He has decisive moments and moments of quality. What characterizes Messi is his decision-making capacity: he comes to life in key moments of the game and makes the right decision."

"Marking Lionel Messi is a matter of concentration and communication. It's about communicating with your teammates to cover positions that you normally wouldn't cover."

The match against England is the semifinal that the Argentine team wanted, according to South American soccer expert Tim Vickery told 5 Live.

“Lionel Messi could not end his international career, with more than 200 games under his belt, without facing the team that Argentine fans consider his biggest rival,” said Vickery.

"During the second half, the fans were jumping to the rhythm of the song 'he who doesn't jump is an Englishman'. On Wednesday you will hear that much, much more."

Bitter rivals

England and Argentina star in one of the fiercest rivalries in international football.

From Diego Maradona's famous “Hand of God” goal in the 1986 World Cup quarter-finals – the second time Maradona faced England after a friendly in 1980 – to David Beckham's red card in Saint-Étienne 12 years later, matches between the two teams have rarely been without drama.

However, this will be their first confrontation in almost 21 years.

Since Messi made his debut for the Argentine national team at the age of 18, the two teams have only met once, and that match took place less than three months after his debut.

Messi had been called up to the national team in August 2005 after impressing in Argentina's triumph at the World Youth Championship earlier that year. However, he did not feature when England faced Argentina in Geneva, as he was serving a suspension after receiving a red card just 30 seconds into his international debut.

After coming off as a substitute in the second half against Hungary in Budapest, he reacted to a foul by Vilmos Vanczak by punching the defender, for which referee Markus Merk showed him a red card.

In a fast-paced match, albeit without Messi, the South Americans twice took the lead before Michael Owen scored two spectacular goals in the final minutes to give Sven-Göran Eriksson's England a 3-2 victory.

How has Messi fared against other rivals?

Messi is the player with the most games played and the most goals scored in the history of Argentina, and his legend has only grown after captaining his team to glory in the 2022 World Cup.

His stats show that he loves scoring goals against any team, but there are some that he seems to enjoy facing more than others.

Bolivia is Messi's favorite rival in terms of goals, having scored 11 against him in just 12 games.

He has scored seven times against Venezuela and Ecuador, in 13 and 11 games respectively.

The player has also scored six and five goals against South American powers Uruguay and Brazil respectively, while European rivals have not fared much better.

He has scored three goals against Croatia, Switzerland and France. Against Les Bleus, he has scored those three goals in as many games, including a memorable double in the 2022 final.

Of all the teams he has faced more than once, only one has managed to prevent him from scoring: Qatar, against whom he has played twice.