‘We can’t just talk about Messi’ – Jordan Pickford ahead of semi-final clash with Argentina

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13 July 2026

Jordan Pickford says

England

are ready to topple

Lionel Messi

and

Argentina

and reach a first

World Cup

final since 1966.

The massive semi-final clash will see

Messi take on the Three Lions for the first time

. Much of the focus has been on whether

will be able to contain the eight-time Ballon D’Or winner, who

continues to shine

on the biggest stage at 39-years-old.

“Of course everyone will talk about Messi because he’s one of the GOATs of the game,” admitted Pickford. “But you can’t look past the ability and the talent that we’ve got in the squad.

“Going forward, defensively, togetherness, we’ve got it all there and that’s what we need to put on show on Wednesday.

“But we also can’t just talk about Messi. They’re a good side and they’re reigning champions, so they’re a good side.

“We’ve got so much ability in our squad going forward and we’re hard to break down. We’ve got that resilience, we’ve got that togetherness and we’ve got that mentality. That’s what makes a good team.”

It is the first meeting between

in over 20 years. Given

the history between the two nations

, it has the potential to be a highly charged match.

England’s goalkeeper insisted: “It’s the top four nations in the world playing against each other in the semi-finals and it’s going to be a great game, a great atmosphere and something we want to thrive on.

“I think anyone in front of us, we’re ready and want to beat.

“Same as

, they want to come and beat us but it’s about us putting our best performance on to go and beat them.

“We know it’s going to be a tough challenge like every game is. Never take any game for granted, never take it lightly and it’s about us being on our A-game, ready for them.”

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