Credit: GETTYIMAGES

(CNN) – The Argentine national team faces its English counterpart in the 2026 World Cup semifinal on Wednesday, and the competition between the two teams' stars, Lionel Messi and Jude Bellingham—considered among the best players of the tournament so far—highlights. We present a comparison of their numbers in the tournament.

Messi

Messi has scored 8 goals in the tournament so far and provided 2 assists in 608 minutes played.

And 'Leo' attempted 19 shots on target and 33 attempts overall with an efficiency rate of 24%, and shares the lead as the most threatening player to opponents' goal with French striker Kylian Mbappé.

Messi played 26 through balls and was certainly the most influential player in the world champions' lineup.

Bellingham

Jude Bellingham has scored 6 goals in the tournament so far and provided just one assist in 574 minutes played.

The Real Madrid midfielder attempted 11 shots on target and made 17 attempts overall with an efficiency rate of 35%.

Bellingham played 20 through balls, and was the player who demanded the ball most in the tournament.