The England women's national team compared the Argentine Lionel Messi to a character from the Avengers.

The historic football rivalry between the English and Argentines, which has increased since the quarter-final match at the 1986 World Cup in Mexico and the goals of Diego Armando Maradona, the first with the hand of God and the second the goal of the century and the best of all time in World Cups, was set aside.

It's time to choose your star #ThreeLions and #Lionesses players from 2024-25 ⭐️

Vote for your England players of the year connected by @EE! 👇

— England (@England) August 15, 2025

Who compared Lionel Messi to an Avengers character?

Joleon Lescott, who currently works as an interim coach with the England men's national team and is a former Premier League footballer with Manchester City.

What did Joe Lescott say about Lionel Messi?

"He must see the game so slowly and so clearly. There was a time when my confidence was through the roof defending one-on-one, you know what you have to do. He must see the game like that: he sees the whole picture of every person and every detail. I'm thinking, he's better than me at everything, but he's not stronger than me. It's okay, I'll hit him. And I did, I hit him in the back. He went 'oof' and literally held me on his back. I thought, Oh my God, you're strong too? You have everything. It's like Thanos from the Avengers," Joe Lescott.