Kolkata: No one old enough to remember the Falklands War or the “Hand of God” will be playing for England or Argentina. But they will have to be living in some soundproof bubble to ignore both – and every other storyline that has contributed to the drama around this rivalry – ahead of the second World Cup semi-final.
With David Beckham belting out “Hey Jude”, being presented a legacy cap by Harry Kane and Diego Simeone bouncing in the hospitality suites, can the teams shut out St Etienne? Will Lionel Scaloni saying “this is a football game” mask the fact that Pablo Aimar, a key member of his coaching staff, saw Beckham’s redemption up close in 2002?
Diego Maradona looms over every Argentina game and Gary Lineker is in New York doing a daily podcast. Think players, staff and their families will be able to shut out conversations around the 1986 quarter-final? Or 1966 for that matter, days after the death of Antonio Rattin?
It is not even clear whether they want to. Thomas Tuchel spoke of karma ahead the tie against Mexico. Argentina remembered Rattin, their captain who was sent off in 1966, against Switzerland. At every game, Argentina fans have bounced to the “The Fourth Star”, a song that references 3Ms: Maradona, Malvinas and Messi. The players have been singing it shows that Islas Malvinas (Falkland Islands) matters.
Four from Argentina are with Premier League clubs and Scaloni has played at West Ham. The chant “whoever who doesn’t jump is an Englishman” has found a second life. Both statements are true. England will surely seek to avenge what Maradona did in 1986, Carlos Tevez told ESPN. The former Argentina, Manchester United and Manchester City forward then said: “History is alive.”
It is but that isn’t the only reason why this promises to be an exciting contest. A knockout match between the world’s No.1 team, who are also the defending champions, and one ranked No.4 and who have played a World Cup semi-final and two European finals since 2018 should be remarkable on its own.
Throw in the fact that England and Argentina have won from losing positions and that two of the last three games where they failed to protect leads went to extra-time and it increases chances of the tango being memorable.
By way of a plot twist add that this the first time Lionel Messi is playing against England. “I have played against everyone except England and it is special because they are a major nation, a powerhouse, and it is always nice to play against a side like that, especially in a World Cup semi-final,” he said.
None of his 21 World Cup goals are comparable to Maradona’s second against England but Messi does have one against Getafe in 2007 that was similar. With him you can never tell, but at 39, he may not have the legs to swivel, slalom and skid past four or five players anymore. But with goals in nine of his last 10 World Cup matches, Messi has shown he can spook teams by doing a fraction of that.
Only twice has a forward walked over five kilometres in this World Cup and both times it has been Messi, as per Opta. He did that against Cabo Verde and Switzerland. He had a goal and an assist in those games. “The plays he pulls off sometimes are truly astonishing,” Kylian Mbappe has said.
Like Messi, Jude Bellingham has been decisive in moments. Unlike Messi, in both penalty boxes. No one from the Premier League scoring or England is a sobering comment on the world’s most watched football competition. But with his braces, Bellingham has kept England alive. “If you see Jude Bellingham, don’t forget to scream,” English fans sang to the Norwegians to the tune of the nursery rhyme “Row, row, row your boat.”
Yet, this is so much more than Bellingham v Messi. From Jordan Pickford to Emiliano Martinez, from Marc Guehi to Lisandro Martinez, Lautaro Martinez or Julian Alvarez to Harry Kane, this has quality all over the pitch. Argentina are older, wiser, unlikely to hit on the break. They prefer being narrow and playing around Messi. England are younger, can press high and have wide players who are fast. Both coaches have also been excellent with substitutions. “It is too close to call,” Rodri told The Guardian. Spain’s captain usually does not get his analysis wrong.
