Until now, Lionel Messi and England had appeared destined to remain star-crossed.
The prospect of the greatest player in a generation, if not all time, and the birthplace of football never tangling threatened to go down as one of the game’s biggest unknowns before they were finally brought together for Wednesday’s World Cup semi-final.
Fate, or rather foolishness, conspired against Messi and England doing battle over two decades earlier as he missed their balmy 2005 friendly through suspension after picking up a red card just two minutes into his international debut.
But while good things come to those who wait, this long-awaited and much-sought contest may feel like a potentially unfair fight with the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner facing a resurgent Three Lions while hurtling towards the wrong side of 40.
The Inter Miami star, however, is in the form of his international life as the prospect of immortality as the first successive World Cup-winning captain since 1962 stands tantalisingly close – if he can overcome the might of Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham.
He is football’s very own Benjamin Button; defying the sands of Father Time to break records which will outlast even some of the bona fide greats of the ‘beautiful game’.
This summer has been no exception with eight goals and two assists putting him clear of Kylian Mbappe as the World Cup’s new all-time top scorer even before the France captain bowed out against Spain.
Messi, unlike his longstanding nemesis and fellow World Cup elder statesman Cristiano Ronaldo, has disproved the theory that a ‘Last Dance’ automatically equates to slowing his role despite walking 47% of his distances covered at the tournament.
Less is officially more where the 39-year-old is concerned as evidenced by a combined 54 chances created to date – matching Diego Maradona’s exploits in 1986, when the Albiceleste put England to the sword en route to glory at Mexico‘s Estadio Azteca.
Since the 2014 World Cup, his attacking prowess has risen incrementally with his current touches in the opposition’s box now averaging 6.28 touches per 90 minutes.
Thomas Tuchel‘s side will also have their work cut out shackling a player who has 16 goals and seven assists in his last 15 World Cup outings while forewarned is not necessarily forearmed for the Premier League players he has routinely tormented.
He may not have realised the oft-quoted cliche of hacking it on cold and rainy night in Stoke but Messi has been the bête noire of the English top flight’s traditional ‘big six’ clubs with 33 goal involvements – 27 goals and six assists – in 36 meetings overall.
Only those capable of suffocating the spaces which Argentina’s talisman looks to exploit in games were able to cut off his supply, as Liverpool successfully did in Barcelona’s infamous Champions League semi-final capitulation back in 2019.
Yet Messi’s ability to lull opponents into a false sense of security before flicking a switch means he can never truly be counted out of any game, as Egypt discovered to their peril.
It evokes a memorable line from The Simpsons about the little guy who hasn’t done anything yet but he’s going to do something and you know it’s gonna be good.
Atlanta’s air-conditioned stadium may not be the Potteries but Messi can finally show England why their date with destiny was more than two decades in the making.