British broadcaster Piers Morgan has downplayed the threat of Lionel Messi in the England-Argentina semi-final of the 2026 FIFA World Cup in Atlanta on Wednesday (July 15) as he named Jude Bellingham as one to look out for.
Bellingham has caught fire in the knockouts, with successive braces propelling the Three Lions to a fourth FIFA World Cup semi-final, second in three editions. His latest outing was a two-goal burst in the 2-1 extra time win over Norway in the quarter-finals.
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That made the Englishman the first player since Argentine legend Diego Maradona (1986) to score braces in successive World Cup knockout games, leading Morgan to consider Bellingham as a bigger threat than Messi as he tweeted:
“All this fearful talk of ‘how will England stop Messi’ is ludicrous. The much more pertinent question is how will Argentina stop Bellingham? He’s the real superstar of this World Cup.”
With six goals in as many games, the Real Madrid midfielder has joined his captain Harry Kane in fourth place in the Golden Boot leaderboard, two behind Kylian Mbappe and Lionel Messi and one adrift of Norway’s Erling Haaland.
Lionel Messi set to play England for the first time as Argentina eye place in 2026 FIFA World Cup final
Argentina captain Lionel Messi is set to feature for the first time against England in his illustrious career, having missed the two teams’ last clash in a November 2005 friendly because of suspension.
Having been sent off less than a minute into his international debut, the then 18-year-old Messi was suspended as the Albiceleste lost 3-2 to the Three Lions in Geneva.
However, two decades later, he’s set to face the 1966 champions with a place in the 2026 FIFA World Cup final at stake. The Albiceleste are taking on the Three Lions in the quadrennial event for the first time since a 1-0 group-stage loss in Sapporo in the 2002 edition in South Korea-Japan.
While the three-time champions crashed out in the group stage, the Three Lions reached the quarter-finals, where they lost 2-1 to eventual winners Brazil, wth Ronaldinho scoring a memorable free-kick from distance to beat David Seaman.
Edited by Bhargav