In his first encounter against England in the World Cup semi-final, Wayne Rooney believes Lionel Messi possesses a devastating offensive weapon but does not fulfill his defensive duties, something the 'Three Lions' could exploit.

The challenge facing England in Atlanta goes beyond merely facing Argentina in the World Cup semi-final for the first time in 24 years. The real challenge is named: Lionel Messi.

Despite scoring 125 goals in 205 international matches, the 39-year-old Messi has never faced England at senior national team level.

He enters the semi-final as the tournament's top scorer with 8 goals, after his scoring streak in 9 consecutive matches was halted against Switzerland in the quarter-final. Despite not scoring, Messi created two decisive goals that led Argentina to victory.

Wayne Rooney, England legend, believes the key to stopping Messi lies in reducing the moments where he makes the difference.

Rooney told BBC Sport: 'Messi could be a defensive weakness for Argentina because he doesn't track back, but he decides games in a moment; what distinguishes him is making the right decision at the crucial time. Marking him requires constant focus and communication.'

In contrast, England enter the match with high morale after their victory over Norway with two goals from Jude Bellingham, reaching the semi-final for the first time since 2018. Argentina, meanwhile, qualified with difficulty after a 3-1 win over Switzerland, thanks to a goal by Julián Álvarez in the 112th minute and then Lautaro Martínez sealing the result.

But Micah Richards, former England defender, believes that Messi's presence nullifies any calculations, as he told the BBC: 'England are faster, but Argentina have the genius Messi; everyone plays for him, marking him is impossible because he doesn't come back, but slips into spaces you don't expect him to be in. His spatial awareness is amazing, and his charisma is unmatched. He always appears at the right time.'