England captain and top scorer Harry Kane confirmed that he will not be drawn into the historic rivalry between his country and Argentina, and will not allow the emotional aspects surrounding the upcoming clash with the defending champions on Wednesday in the 2026 World Cup semi-final to distract his focus.

The encounters between the two teams are filled with a long history of events and incidents, amid the ongoing dispute over the sovereignty of the Falkland Islands, known in Spanish as "Malvinas," in the South Atlantic.

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The most famous meeting between the two teams remains in the 1986 World Cup in Mexico when Argentina won 2-1 thanks to two goals from their legend Diego Maradona, the first known as the 'Hand of God' after he scored it with his hand, and the second from a brilliant individual effort that made it one of the most beautiful goals in the history of the game. Twelve years later, David Beckham was sent off during the 1998 World Cup in France, before Argentina won on penalties.

Kane was asked in an interview with ITV whether controlling the emotions accompanying the match in Atlanta would be a challenge, and he replied, 'Yes and no. I think we shouldn't focus too much on the historical background of the encounter. That is part of the scene, and that's what you (the media) will talk about, and the fans will react to it.'

He continued, 'But from the players' perspective, we are facing a great team, intelligent and tactically organized, that knows how to win fouls and slow down the tempo, like many teams you face throughout your career.'

For him, the match is 'England vs. Argentina, two of the biggest footballing nations face to face. Two giants in a World Cup semi-final. The rest is a small part for us.'

- Kane vs. Messi? -

The Bayern Munich forward will find himself in a direct confrontation with his rival for the Golden Boot, Lionel Messi, who meets England for the first time in his long career.

The 39-year-old Argentine star has scored eight goals so far, two more than Kane, but the 2018 World Cup top scorer confirmed that his team will focus on Argentina as a whole and not just its star.

Kane said, 'We know how good this player is, and we know what he has achieved in the game, and how consistent he has been over many years. But the match is against Argentina, not against Lionel Messi. Therefore, we have a lot of preparations to do. We will face a cohesive group and a great team with special players.'

The 32-year-old also downplayed the dispute that arose between his coach Thomas Tuchel and midfielder Jude Bellingham after the German criticized England's performance in the quarter-final against Norway.

He said, 'We know what we have, and we know the strength of the collective spirit among us. Everyone pushes each other forward and motivates each other. That doesn't mean we have to agree on every situation all the time. I think what makes the coach a unique and special person is that he expresses what he feels honestly, and he is emotional and says things as he sees them.'

He added, 'Sometimes it can be difficult to accept that at the same moment... We are all professionals, and we have reached this level because we have learned how to deal with such matters. We can accept criticism. We can handle it with an open mind, as it helps us develop and makes us better.'

Bor-Jo/ A H/ Jash