For years, an image has circulated of legend Diego Maradona during the coin toss for the Argentina vs. Italy match at the 1986 World Cup in Mexico, staring with a fixed gaze, like a lion's stare, at Gaetano Scirea, captain of the Italian national team, then world champions.

Maradona was not looking at the coin or the referee; he was focusing entirely on his opponent.

And 40 years later, the same scene repeated before the Argentina vs. England match on Wednesday in the semi-finals of the 2026 World Cup, when Lionel Messi fixed his gaze on Harry Kane throughout the coin toss ceremony, without taking his eyes off him.

The video quickly spread across social media, before Messi caught attention again on the pitch.

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According to the Argentine network "TyC Sports", the similarities between the two scenes do not stop at the gaze alone. In the 1986 World Cup, Maradona engaged in the visual showdown with Scirea before the match against Italy in the second round of the group stage, then delivered an unforgettable performance, scoring a brilliant goal in the 1-1 draw.

Four decades later, Messi repeated the same scene before facing England in the semi-finals, then delivered an outstanding performance to lead Argentina to a 2-1 victory, the same result Maradona achieved against the same opponent in the quarter-finals of the 1986 World Cup.

Messi was the main engine of the Argentine attack throughout the match, providing assists for Enzo Fernández and Lautaro Martínez's goals, and completing 9 successful dribbles, confirming that he remains, despite being 39 years old, the most influential player in big matches.