Pickford: We Won't Fall for Argentina's Tactics, Ready to Stop Messi

England goalkeeper Jordan Pickford spoke about the highly anticipated match against Argentina in the 2026 World Cup semi-final, set to take place on Wednesday at the Atlanta stadium.

Regarding Lionel Messi's missed penalties in the World Cup and whether that gives him extra confidence if he faces him from the spot, Pickford said: "I don't think any player in the world has a 100% record in penalties if they take them regularly. For a player like Messi, I don't think his past record will affect him; he'll handle it normally."

He added about the possibility of the match going to penalties: "If we reach that moment, it will be a direct face-off between me and Messi, and my role will be to make the save and read my jump to thwart his shot."

On the comparison between him and Argentine goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez, Pickford stated: "Dibu Martinez is a great keeper and has had a fantastic career, but his actions are his own, and mine are mine," emphasizing that England is prepared for all scenarios, whether the match is decided in regular time or goes to extra time and penalties.

He continued discussing the 1998 World Cup, where Beckham was sent off after an incident with Simeone. Aware of Argentina's tendency to provoke, he said: "I think you’ve seen throughout the tournament our strong desire to win. We haven't fallen into any fights or altercations, and we've been very respectful on the pitch. Refereeing decisions may go for us or against us, but we simply reset ourselves and keep playing, letting football speak for us. We haven't had any suspensions except for the incident with Jarell Quansah, and no second yellow or red cards, which shows our mental strength. We don't get swept up in such provocations; we always stay focused and united as a team."

He concluded: "In the end, it's just a football match between two passionate fan bases, and the final word will be with the players on the pitch."