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Sheringham urges England to match Argentina’s passion in World Cup semi-final
15th July, 2026 05:02 PM
Former England striker Teddy Sheringham has challenged the Three Lions to equal Argentina’s determination and intensity when the two football heavyweights meet in the FIFA World Cup 2026 semi-final on Wednesday, July 15, 2026.
Sheringham is among the few England players to have experienced both disappointment and triumph against Argentina at the World Cup. He was an unused substitute when England suffered a dramatic penalty shootout defeat in the 1998 Round of 16 after David Beckham’s red card, before later playing in England’s 1-0 victory over Argentina during the group stage of the 2002 World Cup in Japan.
The 1998 memories
The ex-Manchester United forward says one moment after the 1998 defeat has remained with him ever since and perfectly captures the emotional significance Argentina attach to the rivalry.
“Both team buses were parked about 10 yards apart,” Sheringham recalled.
“We came out from the changing rooms afterwards to get on the buses and we were all waiting while the kit was being loaded.
“The Argentina players were on their bus singing and dancing, banging on the windows, swinging their shirts around, tops off, headbands on – just making it quite clear that they absolutely loved the moment of beating England and knocking us out of the World Cup.
“That lives very vividly in my mind, and I’m sure in everybody else’s mind who was there too.”
Looking ahead to Wednesday’s semi-final, Sheringham believes Thomas Tuchel’s players must be ready to cope with the fierce emotion and competitive edge that Argentina traditionally bring whenever the two nations face each other.
“When you play Argentina in big moments, there are always things that go back through the years,” Sheringham said. “There’s obviously a lot of history between the teams and a lot of friction there.
“We need to find something that’s going to give us as much drive as they’ll have tomorrow night. There’s always something about really, really wanting to beat someone, and we need to find that to get us over the line.”
Sheringham also reflected on the difficult period David Beckham endured after being sent off in the 1998 clash, saying the midfielder struggled with the aftermath but eventually emerged stronger.
“You couldn’t console him. He was just absolutely devastated,” Sheringham recalled. “He’d been sent off and he knew everything was going to be thrown at him because of it.
“Everywhere we went [with Manchester United] he got abuse. Every time he touched the ball there were boos for 90 minutes, for about six months. It was absolute carnage.
“Anyone else with any lesser character wouldn’t have come through that. No way.”
England earned revenge four years later when Beckham converted the decisive penalty in Sapporo to seal a 1-0 victory over Argentina. Sheringham said the success completed Beckham’s remarkable transformation from villain to national hero.
“Four years later, Becks was a national treasure,” he said. “It’s amazing how football turns around. For him to score the penalty – he was delighted and we were delighted for him.
“When we won in 2002, I don’t think we celebrated with the level of passion they celebrated against us with in 1998 – probably because we hadn’t knocked them out of the World Cup. There was something special about that moment for them.”
Game’s physicality
Recalling the physical nature of that encounter, Sheringham warned England’s current attackers to expect another uncompromising performance from Argentina’s defenders.
“South American defenders are naughty,” he joked. “They’re horrible. They’d kick their gran if they thought she was going to score against them! Stopping their opponents is everything to them.
“England have to be ready again for everything that’s going to be thrown at them to stop them scoring a goal.”
Sheringham reserved special praise for England captain Harry Kane, describing the striker as one of the finest forwards in world football.
“I’ve said it many times, he’s a leader,” Sheringham said. “He’s a proper player. He hasn’t got a bad angle in his game and his armoury.
“Harry is a top professional and a proper captain who leads by example and carries people with him and shows them the way. For me, he’s the best in the world.” He said.
