‘A once-in-a-lifetime chance to face Messi’ – England’s O’Reilly ahead of World Cup semi-final

England left-back Nico O’Reilly says facing Lionel Messi in Wednesday’s World Cup semi‑final against Argentina is a “once‑in‑a‑lifetime opportunity”. Thomas Tuchel’s side reached the final four after a draining 2‑1 win over Norway in the Miami heat on Saturday, and now meet the defending world champions, who beat Switzerland 3‑1, at Atlanta. It will be the first time Messi has played against England, and at 39, it could be his last. O’Reilly, a Manchester City defender, has never lined up against him at club level either. “I can’t wait,” O’Reilly, who could be tasked with marking Messi one‑on‑one if he starts at left‑back, told broadcaster Radio 5 Live. “It’s a once‑in‑a‑lifetime opportunity. He’s coming towards the end of his career. For me personally, he’s the best player to ever touch a football pitch. And yeah, I can’t wait for the challenge.” Messi began the tournament with a hat‑trick in a 3‑0 victory over Algeria, becoming the all‑time leading goalscorer in World Cup history, equalling Miroslav Klose’s record of 16 that had stood since 2014. He has since scored five more to push that record to 21 career World Cup goals, and his eight goals in this tournament put him level with France’s Kylian Mbappé in the Golden Boot race. England goalkeeper Jordan Pickford warned against focusing only on the eight‑time Ballon d’Or winner, stressing Argentina’s overall strength. “He has scored so many goals and contributed to so many over his career. It’s great to finally come up against him after so long, and watching him as a kid,” Pickford told media at England’s training base in Kansas on Monday. “We all know how good Messi is but we also know how good Argentina are. We can’t solely rely on [stopping] Messi. We’ve got to focus on their other strengths and the weaknesses we can take advantage of.” The winner of the semi‑final will face either France or Spain – who meet on Tuesday – in the World Cup final at the New York New Jersey Stadium on Sunday, 19 July.