The Photography Archive Behind The World Cup's Greatest Rivalry

We've had this one on the wall all week. England vs Argentina at a World Cup is the kind of fixture that doesn't need context for anyone who's ever cared about football, but the photography that has accumulated across six meetings and sixty years deserves to be looked at properly before Atlanta adds another chapter to it tonight.

Historical Moments

• 1966, Wembley Stadium: A quarterfinal that England won 1-0 but that Argentina left calling it el robo del siglo, the robbery of the century. Antonio Rattín refusing to leave the pitch after his red card and the images of him being escorted off by police, the fury visible in every frame.
• 1986, Mexico City, Azteca: The two most famous minutes in World Cup history arriving four minutes apart. Diego Maradona punching the ball past Peter Shilton with a hand the referee didn't see, then collecting the ball inside his own half and running through five England players to score what FIFA later named the Goal of the Century.
• 1998, St Etienne: An eighteen-year-old Michael Owen running from halfway to score one of the greatest goals in England's history, then David Beckham on the ground after a clash with Diego Simeone, the red card arriving and the images of Beckham walking off that pitch that defined the next four years of his career and an entire era of English football.
• 2002, Sapporo: Beckham stepping up to take the penalty that gave him back everything the St Etienne photographs had taken. The image of that celebration is one of the most complete expressions of relief ever caught on a football pitch.

Six World Cup meetings. Not one of them has failed to give the cameras something worth keeping. Tonight in Atlanta, Lionel Messi faces England at a World Cup for the first time. The archive is waiting.