When Lionel Messi and England finally meet in Wednesday's World Cup semi-final, they will settle a footballing mystery that has lingered for over two decades. The greatest player of his generation — and by many accounts of all time — had never faced the country that gave the world football, and the game's faithful had grown weary of waiting for the collision.

Fate worked against them early. Messi was sent off just 2 minutes into his international debut, earning a suspension that ruled him out of Argentina's warm-weather friendly against England in 2005. From that moment, the fixture seemed cursed — until now.

A man defying time

At 39, Messi is careening past an age at which most professionals have long retired, yet his numbers at this tournament are extraordinary. Eight goals and two assists have placed him above Kylian Mbappe as the World Cup's all-time leading scorer — and France's captain had not yet exited the competition when that record fell.

He has matched Diego Maradona's record of 54 chances created at a single World Cup, an achievement that connects this tournament to the iconic 1986 edition in Mexico — where the Albiceleste famously dismantled England at the Estadio Azteca on their way to lifting the trophy.

What makes Messi's endurance more remarkable is that he walks 47 percent of his total distance covered during matches. Less movement, greater impact — a paradox that defines his late-career brilliance. Since the 2014 World Cup, his involvement inside the opposition box has only grown, with 6.28 touches per 90 minutes in the current tournament.

England's familiar problem

Thomas Tuchel's side must find a way to contain a player who has accumulated 16 goals and seven assists across his last 15 World Cup appearances. That record alone should concentrate minds in the England camp, even if Premier League experience offers some preparation for what is coming.

Messi has left the top flight's traditional big six clubs well acquainted with his brilliance — 27 goals and six assists in 36 encounters, a total of 33 goal involvements. Only a handful of teams have managed to cut off his supply by suffocating the spaces he seeks, most notably Liverpool in Barcelona's Champions League semi-final collapse in 2019.

Yet for all the tactical study, Messi retains the capacity to deceive. He can coast through passages of play seemingly disengaged, then flip a switch and decide a game in an instant — as Egypt discovered at this very tournament.

A date with destiny

The Inter Miami captain stands one step from becoming the first successive World Cup-winning captain since 1962. Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham represent a genuine obstacle, and England are in fine form. But the semi-final in Atlanta offers Messi the stage he has always deserved against an opponent he has long been denied — and football rarely offers a more compelling backdrop than that.