By David AFOLABI
“It’s us against them to get a place in the final, and it’s a game of football. 90 minutes, 120, penalties. We’re ready for anything, and it’s us against them and it’s about who comes out on top. We’re fully prepared for that.”
Those were the words of England goalkeeper Jordan Pickford, ahead of Wednesday’s World Cup semi-final against Argentina.
The rivalry between the two teams is one of the spiciest in world football, influenced by events on and off the pitch.
Pickford said England had largely avoided flashpoints during the 2026 tournament and can cope with the pressure.
“I think you’ve seen throughout the tournament our desire to win tackles. We’ve not got into any scuffles or anything,” he said Monday at England’s training base in Kansas City.
“We’ve been very well respected within the game. Decisions go our way, they don’t go our way, we just reset, we go again and we let the football do the talking.
“I think that’s what we’ve done throughout the tournament. Apart from Jarell (Quansah’s red card in Mexico), we’ve not had any suspensions, no second yellow cards or anything like that.”
Lionel Messi will be the focus in the build-up to the semi-final in Atlanta but Everton goalkeeper Pickford talked up England’s own stars.
“Everyone will talk about Messi because he’s one of the GOATs (greatest of all time) of the game,” he said.
“But you can’t look past the ability and the talent 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 a show on Wednesday.”
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The history of matches between England and Argentina is peppered with incidents, set against a lingering sovereignty dispute over the Falkland Islands, known in Spanish as the Malvinas, in the South Atlantic Ocean.
The most famous encounter between the teams was a 2-1 victory for Argentina at the 1986 World Cup in Mexico featuring two goals from Diego Maradona — one the infamous “Hand of God” goal and the other a dazzling solo effort considered one of the best ever.
But the historical background is of little relevance to Pickford as England seek to get over the line in a major tournament for the first time since 1966.
