How one of the worst football debuts ever kept Lionel Messi from playing against England
Even today, it’s still seen as one of the most surprising red cards in football history. On August 17, 2005, a young and excited Lionel Messi made his first senior appearance for Argentina. He came on in the second half of a friendly match against Hungary, thanks to manager Jose Pekerman.
This was a huge moment for the 18-year-old, who earned his spot after shining in the World Youth Championship earlier that year. But just 47 seconds after coming on in the 64th minute, Messi was shown a red card by referee Markus Merk. The referee thought Messi elbowed Vilmos Vanczak, who fell down dramatically.
In fact, Vanczak had grabbed Messi’s shirt, and the teen, clearly annoyed, swung his arm to get free. Messi later explained, “He came through me and held me, so I wanted to get away, but the ref thought I tried to push him.” He added, “It wasn’t how I dreamed my debut would go.”
Nearly 20 years later, Vanczak shared his side in an interview. He said, “He went past me with the ball, I pulled his jersey to stop him. I don’t think he meant to hit me with his elbow; he just wanted to get away. It touched my throat, but I didn’t expect a red card—it was only a friendly.”
Because of the red card, Messi had to sit out a suspension on November 12, 2005, missing Argentina’s friendly against England before the 2006 World Cup. England came back to win 3-2, with two goals from Michael Owen and one from Wayne Rooney, while Messi watched from the bench.
Since then, Messi has gone on to score 125 goals for Argentina. He played a big part in ending their 28-year trophy drought by winning Copa America and led the team to World Cup glory in 2022. He’s achieved almost everything in his career, but a game against England was missing from his record—until now.
Speaking after Argentina’s 3-1 win over Switzerland to reach the semi-finals, Messi called England a “powerhouse.” He said, “All I know about Argentina vs. England from 1986 comes from videos and images we always watch. But this team is used to playing tough matches no matter the opponent.”
He added, “Playing England is special because they are a strong team. It’s my first time playing against them, so it’ll be nice for that reason too. We’ll enjoy it for what it is—a World Cup semi-final against a great team—and we’ll try to be at our best to compete.”