How one of the worst debuts in football history stopped Lionel Messi from facing England

To this day, it is widely regarded as one of the more absurd red cards in football history.

On the afternoon of August 17, 2005, a fresh-faced Lionel Messi made his senior debut for Argentina after he was introduced by manager Jose Pekerman in the second-half of a friendly against Hungary.

It was a monumental moment for the 18-year-old, who had earned his senior call-up following a series of impressive performances at the World Youth Championship earlier that year.

But just 47 seconds after replacing Lisandro Lopez in the 64th minute, Messi was given his marching orders by referee Markus Merk after being adjudged to have thrown an elbow at Vilmos Vanczak, who went down in a heap.

Vanczak could be seen tugging at Messi's shirt and the teenager, clearly irked by the contact, reacted by swinging his arm towards the defender.

"He came through me and had hold of me and I wanted to break free, but the referee interpreted it as though I had tried to shove him away," Messi said after the full-time whistle. "I went on with a lot of time left in the game, but then what happened, happened."

"It was not like I had dreamed it would be," added Messi.

Almost two decades later, Vanczak gave his version of events during an interview with The Athletic.

“He went past me with the ball. I wanted to stop him and I pulled back his jersey,” he said. “I don’t think he wanted to hit me with his elbow but he wanted to escape and he touched my throat with his elbow — but I didn’t expect him to get a red card. It was only a friendly."

As a result of his dismissal, Messi needed to serve a suspension, which happened to fall on November 12, 2005, when Argentina came up against England in a friendly ahead of the 2006 World Cup.

Sven-Goran Eriksson's side came from behind as goals from Michael Owen (2) and Wayne Rooney sealed a 3-2 win in Switzerland's Stade de Geneve, while Messi was forced to watch from the sidelines.

What Lionel Messi has said about England as he prepares to take on Three Lions for first time

Since the most recent game between England and Argentina in 2005, Messi has gone on to score 125 goals for his country.

As well as playing a crucial role in ending the country's 28-year trophy drought by winning the Copa America, he led La Albiceleste to a World Cup win at the 2022 tournament in Qatar.

He has ticked off almost every achievement in his career, but an appearance against England is missing from his trophy-laden resume. That will all change on Wednesday night in Atlanta.

Speaking after Argentina booked their place in the semi-final with a 3-1 win over Switzerland, Messi described England as a "powerhouse".

"Everything I have seen and remember [about Argentina vs. England from 1986] is from videos and images that Argentinians constantly watch and relive," he told ESPN Argentina.

"But I think this group is used to playing football matches regardless of the opponent. Obviously, playing against England is special because they are a powerhouse, and matches against powerhouses are always special.

"Personally, it's the first time I'm going to play against them. I've played against everyone except England, so it will be nice for that reason too.

“And we'll experience it for what it is: a World Cup semifinal against a powerhouse, a great team, and we'll try to arrive in the best possible shape to compete again."