Five players in Englands squad will be meeting Lionel Messi again if they feature against Argentina at the World Cup 2026 on Wednesday. Only one has lost all of the games they have played against the most feared player in football, while three have been on the winning side in at least half of their encounters with him.One of the newer members of the Three Lions group has already beaten Messi, securing a huge upset shortly before the eight-time Ballon dOr winner left Paris Saint-Germain for current club Inter Miami.From John Stones to Harry Kane, heres the full record among the players hoping to deny Messi a place in the World Cup final.Table of ContentsLionel Messi record vs Harry KaneLionel Messi record vs Marcus RashfordLionel Messi record vs Jordan HendersonLionel Messi record vs John StonesLionel Messi record vs Djed SpenceWorld Cup 2026: When is England vs Argentina?Where to watch England vs Argentina: TV channel, live online streamLionel Messi record vs Harry KaneKane scored when Tottenham met Barcelona at Wembley Stadium during the Champions League group stage in 2018, but Spurs were 2-0 behind by that time and Messi restored Barcas two-goal cushion four minutes later.One of Messis Argentina teammates, Erik Lamela, set up Kane and scored himself to make the scoreline 3-2 with 24 minutes remaining, only for Messis 90th-minute goal to seal a 4-2 win in which Kane was booked during the second half.Tottenham, who would reach the final that season, fared better in the return match in Barcelona, although they fell behind to a seventh-minute opener by Ousmane Dembele.Messi was substituted in the 63rd minute. In his absence, Kane set up Lucas Moura to earn Spurs a 1-1 draw five minutes from time.Lionel Messi record vs Marcus RashfordRashford and Messi both started as Barcelona won at Manchester United in the Champions League quarter-finals in 2019, when former England full-back Luke Shaws 12th-minute own-goal proved the only goal.Two quickfire Messi goals put Barcelona 2-0 ahead on the night after 20 minutes of the return match, in which Philippe Coutinho completed a 4-0 aggregate win. Rashford was substituted during the second half of both legs.Lionel Messi record vs Jordan HendersonHaving come on two minutes beforehand for the injured Naby Keita, Hendersons Liverpool fell behind to a Luis Suarez opener in the Champions League semi-finals in 2019.Messi set up another Suarez goal and scored a late free-kick to leave many expecting the second leg at Anfield to be a formality rather than one of the greatest comebacks in the history of the competition.With Henderson and Messi captaining their clubs, Liverpool swept to a sensational 4-0 win featuring two assists from Trent Alexander-Arnold, whose exclusion from Englands squad for these finals has come under greater scrutiny because of their problems at right-back.Henderson broke his arm in bizarre circumstances after Englands last-16 win against Mexico but was named on the bench against Norway. Will the 36-year-old be part of another famous result against a Messi team?Lionel Messi record vs John StonesRestored against Norway for the first time since the start of the group stage, Stones has won his last two meetings with Messi and started on all three occasions when he has faced the 39-year-old.Manchester City beat PSG 2-1 at home in the Champions League group stage in 2021, recovering after an early goal from Kylian Mbappe, who formed part of a superstar attacking trio with Messi and Neymar.City also fell behind early on at home when Messi scored for Barcelona set up by Neymar during the group stage in 2016.Pep Guardiolas players proceeded to win 3-1, atoning for a 4-0 defeat at Camp Nou less than two weeks earlier.Messi scored a hat-trick before setting up a Neymar goal in that match, although there were mitigating circumstances for the margin of Citys defeat: goalkeeper Claudio Bravo was sent off for handball in the 53rd minute, with the scoreline 1-0.Lionel Messi record vs Djed SpenceThink Stones showings against Messi seem promising? Djed Spence has a perfect record against him.Messi had scored in each of PSGs previous three home league matches before Spence showed up at the Ligue 1 leaders while on loan to Rennes from Spurs.PSG had been unbeaten at the Parc des Princes in the league that season but suffered a shock 2-0 defeat to their opponents, who completed a double over Messis team and even had the luxury of taking Spence off in the 78th minute.An all-action performance that saw him win the majority of his defensive duels, as well as offering a constant outlet for his teams counter-attacks, GFFN purred at the time, calling Spence unstoppable down the right.World Cup 2026: When is England vs Argentina?The first competitive meeting between the two countries since the 2002 finals starts at 20:00 BST on Wednesday. Heres how that looks in different territories.DateBST start timeETPTWeds, July 1520:0015:0012:00Where to watch England vs Argentina: TV channel, live online streamIn the UK, live TV coverage is on BBC One.Streaming on a vast range of devices is available through the BBC iPlayer app and BBC Sport website.Source for data: Transfermarkt Topics 2026 FIFA World Cup Anthony Gordon Argentina National Football Team Bukayo Saka Dan Burn Declan Rice Djed Spence Eberechi Eze Elliot Anderson England National Football Team Erling Haaland FIFA World Cup Harry Kane Ivan Toney James Trafford Jarell Quansah John Stones Jordan Henderson Jordan Pickford Jude Bellingham Kobbie Mainoo Lionel Messi Marc Guehi Marcus Rashford Morgan Rogers Nico O'Reilly Noni Madueke Norway National Football Team Ollie Watkins Reece James Thomas Tuchel World Cup World Cup 2026 Add us as a preferred source on Google If you enjoy reading this article, you can help support our independent football journalism by adding 101 Great Goals as a preferred source You Should Also Read World Cup 2026 live: France vs Spain confirmed teams and full line ups as Barcola, Tchouameni start with England or Argentina awaiting winners, TV channel, online stream and stats Ben Miller 14th July, 2026 Diego Maradonas son says England clash is not a normal game and urges Argentina fans to remember those killed in the Falklands Jon Fisher 14th July, 2026 England v Argentina: Expected line-ups, stats and where to watch World Cup semi-final between arch-rivals Jon Fisher 14th July, 2026 FIFA World Cup 2026: Full France fixtures, results, schedule, confirmed squad, next match, kick off times Ben Miller 14th July, 2026 Kylian Mbappe: World Cup 2026 playing schedule, fixtures, kick off times, where to watch, confirmed news updates and full France squad Ben Miller 14th July, 2026 England v Argentina: Appointment of Elfath as referee for World Cup semi-final unlikely to please Three Lions camp Jon Fisher 14th July, 2026
