World Cup 2026 – Argentina vs England Match: In This Tournament There Are Two Finals.. And the Historic Final Is the One Played Today Argentina’s Maradona Faces England.. When History Becomes a Third Side in the Match
There are matches played for qualification.
And there are matches played for the trophy.
But there are rare matches that cannot be measured by their result, because they transcend the boundaries of the pitch and become a new chapter in the history book of football.
England and Argentina are not merely two teams meeting in a World Cup semi-final; they are an ongoing narrative spanning more than six decades, where sport mixed with politics, national identity with collective memory, war with the ball, and tournament with legend.
That is why the Atlanta clash is not just a match that qualifies one team to the final.
It is a confrontation that reopens every file that has remained unclosed since 1966, passing through the Falklands War, the “Hand of God” goal, the “Goal of the Century,” and then years of rivalry that made this fixture one of the most unique in World Cup history.
Although Lionel Messi leads the Argentine national team today, the historical truth that cannot be overlooked is that the world did not fall in love with Argentine football because of Messi.
The world fell in love with Maradona’s Argentina.
For Maradona was not just a great player.
He was a phenomenon that changed the relationship of millions with football, and turned the name of Argentina into a footballing school, a sporting identity, and an emotional state that extended to every continent on earth.
That is why talk of the England-Argentina clash does not begin with the present, but with the past. And with every meeting between them, a new chapter of this story will be written.
Not Just a Match… But a New Chapter in a Six-Decade-Old Story
When the tournament fixtures resulted in a World Cup 2026 semi-final pairing Argentina and England face to face, the news was not merely about determining the two sides of a match.
It was an announcement of the return of one of the most compelling stories in World Cup history.
Few football matches can carry all this legacy.
Between these two teams stretches a long history that began in the 1960s, intertwines with politics and war, and reaches the greatest moments of the game.
It is a fixture that no football fan can view as just another match.
That is why FIFA described it as one of the most historic rivalries in the World Cup, while many believed that the mere fact of both teams reaching the semi-finals had brought the entire tournament back to its old memories.
It is the match that needs no media hype.
History does the job alone.
Every generation knows it from a different angle.
A generation remembers the 1966 match.
A generation lived through the Falklands War.
A generation watched Maradona dribble past half the England team.
A generation followed David Beckham’s tears.
A generation remembers Gabriel Batistuta’s disappointment.
A new generation hears the story for the first time.
And so this rivalry remains larger than any result, larger than any title, because it has become part of the memory of the World Cup itself.
Maradona’s Argentina.. The Country That Became a Football Phenomenon
It is difficult to speak about world football without pausing at Argentina.
For it is not merely a team that has won the World Cup three times, nor just a country that has produced dozens of stars.
It is one of the four great footballing schools that shaped the strongest history in the game, alongside Brazil, Germany, and Italy.
But Argentina’s value was not born from the number of titles alone.
Because the true value was born from its ability to produce extraordinary footballing characters.
And among all those characters, one name has always stood above the rest.
Diego Armando Maradona.
Much has been written about Maradona.
More has been said about him than about any other player.
And more controversy has surrounded him than any athlete in the modern era.
But all of that remains a detail before the greater truth.
Maradona was not just a genius player.
He was a global social and cultural phenomenon.
He possessed a footballing sense so unique that it produced a new popular footballing consciousness across the world.
Children imitated him.
Crowds chanted his name.
Cities celebrated him.
Newspapers pursued him.
Politics invested in his presence.
Popular culture constantly reproduced his image.
He did not live only on the pitch.
He lived within people’s imaginations, even today.
That is why his story did not end when he retired.
Nor did it end when he passed away.
Perhaps a new phase began after his departure.
For sporting legends often remain confined to their achievements.
But Maradona became a collective memory.
A symbol.
An identity.
That is why the love of millions for Argentina did not begin because of the number of its titles, nor because of the stars who came after him, nor Messi.
It began with Maradona’s Argentina.
And since that time, every new Argentine generation has walked the path opened by the man who changed the shape of the game, and with it, the image of his country in the eyes of the world.
Maradona.. The Genius That Transcended the Boundaries of Football
History can create heroes, but it rarely creates legends that transcend the limits of the game itself.
Diego Armando Maradona was the greatest of these.
What was greatest about Maradona was not the number of his goals or titles, but his ability to turn football into a human story followed by the entire world.
He was the player who carried the hopes of the poor in Argentina, giving them a voice on the biggest stages.
And he was the star who made fans feel that the impossible could be achieved if the ball reached his feet.
That is why his presence at the 1986 World Cup was not just a sporting participation.
It was the project of a leader carrying an entire team on his shoulders.
Argentina at that time did not have a collection of shining names as in later generations, but stood out with a player capable of changing the fate of an entire match in a single moment.
Which is exactly what happened.
That is why Maradona’s name remained synonymous with the World Cup more than any other player.
Even after new generations of stars emerged, comparisons still began with him.
Why?
Because Maradona did not only change the results of matches, but changed the way people remember those matches.
And because of this, the England encounter always returns to his image.
Not to any other player.
That is also why, when the two teams meet again after nearly forty years, the present is forced to pass through the past.
This is Argentina, which carries Messi’s name on the team sheet today, but still carries Maradona’s spirit in the world’s memory.
The 1986 World Cup: The Tournament That Became Maradona’s Tournament… When Diego Dribbled Past Half of England
There are tournaments won by a team.
And there are tournaments stolen by a single player from everyone else.
The 1986 World Cup was of the second type.
Argentina entered the tournament as contenders, but not as the favourites.
As for Maradona, he emerged from it as the name most associated with World Cup history.
The story reached its peak in the quarter-final against England.
Within minutes, he scored two goals that entered history through two different doors.
The first, which later became known as the “Hand of God,” sparked a controversy that continues to this day — a goal that technology will forever prevent any similar goal from being scored.
The second, which FIFA later named the “Goal of the Century,” after Maradona carried the ball from the halfway line, passed several England players before placing it in the net, in one of the most famous moments in sporting history.
But what gives that match additional value is what Salvatori Carmando, the Argentina team’s masseur and Maradona’s companion during the 1986 World Cup, revealed.
According to his account, what happened was not a coincidence.
Before the match, Maradona turned to him and said:
“I have to score an amazing goal today… I don’t know how, but I have to do it.”
After scoring the historic goal, he returned to him and embraced him saying:
“Didn’t I tell you I would do it?”
Carmando recounts that this confidence was not unusual for Maradona, as he was accustomed to announcing what he intended to do, then successfully executing it on the pitch.
Even decades later, that match is still recalled as a moment that changed World Cup history.
It was no surprise that Carmando said, recalling his memories before the 2026 encounter:
“The Mexico City match may have been forty years ago, but such things are never forgotten.”
And so, the 1986 match was no longer just a victory for Argentina.
It became the founding moment of a legend that made Maradona’s name immortal, and made every subsequent encounter between England and Argentina always read in the light of that historic day at the Azteca Stadium.
From the Falklands to the Azteca.. When the Match Carried the Memory of Two Peoples
Not all great matches are born from sporting rivalry alone, because some carry on their shoulders political history, national memory, and emotions that cannot be separated from the context in which they were born.
That is precisely what distinguishes the clash between England and Maradona’s Argentina.
When the two teams met in the 1986 World Cup quarter-final, only four years had passed since the Falklands War (the Malvinas for Argentines), a war that ended with a British victory but left a deep wound in the Argentine consciousness.
The match was not an extension of the war, nor did the teams enter the pitch to fight a political battle, but fans and media in both countries loaded the encounter with dimensions beyond the boundaries of football.
In Argentina, victory seemed like a restoration of some lost national dignity.
In England, victory meant affirming sporting superiority over an opponent whose rivalry had become a matter of public opinion.
It was no surprise that the Azteca match became one of the most present World Cup matches in collective memory.
Even today, it is difficult to find another fixture that has remained so present in global discourse, despite nearly four decades having passed.
With the passage of time, political sensitivities between the two countries have faded, but the sporting rivalry has retained its heat.
Every draw that brings the two teams together reopens the books of history, and the uniqueness of the 1986 encounter, as if it were beginning anew.
That is why the Atlanta clash at the 2026 World Cup is not just a new semi-final.
It is a new chapter in a story that began decades ago, nourished by history, politics, sport, popular symbols, and partisanship.
That is precisely why this match needs no promotional campaign to acquire its value.
The name alone is enough.
England will face Maradona’s Argentina once again.
Head-to-Head Record.. How Maradona’s Argentina Created One of the Greatest Rivalries in World Cup History?
The World Cup encounters between the two teams began in 1962, when England won 3-1 in the group stage.
Four years later, the English renewed their superiority with a single, precious goal in the 1966 World Cup quarter-final, the tournament that ended with their only title.
But all of that became merely a prelude to what happened in the summer of 1986.
In Mexico City, Diego Maradona wrote the most famous chapter in the history of this rivalry.
A handball goal that sparked global controversy, followed by a goal described by many as the most beautiful in World Cup history.
From that moment, the rivalry was no longer just a match between two teams.
It became a clash between two memories.
At the 1998 World Cup in France, the teams met again in the Round of 16, in a match that remained one of the tournament’s most thrilling.
The match witnessed Michael Owen’s historic solo run and goal, as well as David Beckham’s red card after his clash with Diego Simeone, before Argentina secured qualification on penalties.
As for the 2002 edition, it carried the title of English revenge.
David Beckham led his country to victory with a penalty goal, a match that contributed to Argentina’s group-stage exit for the first time in forty years, while England continued their path to the quarter-finals before falling to Brazil.
Thus, the overall record in World Cup matches tilted in England’s favour in terms of wins, but the irony is that the match that remained immortal in the world’s memory was the one won by Argentina under Maradona’s leadership.
Football memory does not always preserve who won more.
It preserves who created the unforgettable moment.
That is why, when the two teams meet again in a World Cup 2026 semi-final, history does not start from zero.
It carries with it more than six decades of conflict, stories, revenge, titles, and stars.
The New England… A Team Unlike Its Past
England did not reach the semi-finals because they have one of the tournament’s best scorers, nor because they have a collection of big names, but because they have succeeded for the first time in many years in building a team that knows how to win in different ways.
In the group stage, England played attacking football against Croatia, then reluctantly accepted a closed match against Ghana that ended in a draw, before securing top spot against Panama.
In the knockout stages, they showed a different face; they came from behind against DR Congo, then played with ten men against Mexico and snatched qualification, before recovering from a deficit against Norway and sealing the match after extra time.
This is not the England that used to crumble at the first opportunity in the final fifteen minutes of a match.
Observers are aware that the identity underlying English football is based on opening up the pitch, attacking, and pace — which costs them an exhausting physical toll, making fitness the most prominent factor in England’s exits from previous editions.
Here the true impact of England manager Thomas Tuchel appears.
The German coach did not give the team one style, but gave them the ability to change their character within the match itself.
They can press high.
And they can defend deep.
And they can control possession.
And they can play direct.
And they can win when they are better, as well as when they are worse.
That is why England today appear more mature than any previous version in decades.
But the greater strength is not only tactical.
It is psychological.
This team is no longer afraid of falling behind.
Nor do they surrender when they lose a player.
Nor do they wait for penalties as the inevitable end to any big match.
The Three Lions have freed themselves from their historical complexes, which is why the English are speaking for the first time in many years about a team with the character of champions, not just a collection of stars.
That is precisely why the Argentina match looks different.
This time, the opponent will not face the traditional England that carries the legacy of failures.
They will face a version that believes in its ability to write a new history.
Bellingham and Kane.. A Duo That Forged England’s New Identity
England throughout their history were accustomed to relying on a striker who scores, or a midfielder who creates, but the 2026 edition presented a completely different equation.
Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham do not only share the goals, but share the leadership of the team.
Six goals each.
A number never before achieved by two England players in a single World Cup edition.
But the numbers do not tell the full story.
Kane represents experience.
The captain who tasted the bitterness of the 2018 semi-final, and knows exactly what it means for the journey to stop before the final.
As for Bellingham, he represents the new generation.
A player who knows no fear, and does not hesitate to take responsibility in the most difficult moments.
Against Norway, when England were on the verge of elimination, Bellingham was the one who brought the match back to life.
Against DR Congo, he was present.
Throughout the tournament, he became the player who changes the team’s rhythm simply by touching the ball.
But the success of this duo would not have happened without the rest of the system.
Marcus Rashford added decisive goals.
Bukayo Saka gave the team a constant attacking width.
Anthony Gordon became one of the tournament’s most important chance creators.
That is why England no longer rely on a single star.
It is a complete attacking system.
Perhaps here lies the great irony before facing Argentina.
If Argentina are still always looking for a moment to be created by an exceptional player, England are trying to make the whole group the star.
And this difference in philosophy will be one of the most important themes of the true semi-final of the World Cup.
Maradona’s Argentina.. From Individual Genius to Collective Strength
Some may think that the current Argentina team lives on the legacy of the past, or that it is merely a version carrying Lionel Messi’s name.
But the truth goes beyond that.
The team that reached the 2026 World Cup semi-final is an extension of a footballing school that began decades ago, was solidified with Maradona’s Argentina, and then learned over time to preserve its spirit while developing its tools.
In the 1986 World Cup, almost everything passed through Maradona.
He was the mind, the heart, and the foot that changed the match.
Today, Lionel Messi remains the leader, the symbol, and the all-time top scorer of the World Cup, called upon to confirm what Maradona built.
Reducing the Argentine team to Messi is a diminishment of the system built by Scaloni.
Argentina opened the tournament against Algeria with a Messi hat-trick.
The player who continued scoring against Austria and Jordan, and contributed to leading his country through the knockout stages, but the path to the semi-final was not paved by his feet alone.
Julián Álvarez was there in difficult moments.
Lautaro Martínez scored decisive goals in extra time.
Rodrigo De Paul gave the midfield its usual balance, alongside Mac Allister.
Cristian Romero and Lisandro Martínez formed one of the strongest defensive duos in the tournament.
As for Emiliano Martínez, the Golden Glove winner of the 2022 edition, he continued to cement his reputation as one of the most influential keepers in big matches.
And here lies Argentina’s strength.
They do not live in the past.
Nor do they deny it.
Rather, they build their present on the foundation laid by Maradona’s Argentina.
The identity remained the same.
Fighting until the final minute.
The character that does not break.
The belief that the match does not end until the referee’s whistle.
And the ability to find a new hero whenever the moment requires it.
For this reason, the current Argentina is not a copy of 1986.
Nor a copy of 2022.
It is a continuation of a school created by Maradona’s Argentina, then developed through generations, reaching Scaloni who started from that legacy.
Why Do the English Hate Maradona’s Argentina? What Has Been Said Does Not Tell the Whole Story
It might be easy to explain any sporting rivalry by results and numbers.
But the relationship between England and Argentina cannot be reduced to a scoreboard.
It is one of the most complex rivalries in football history, because it was born from the intertwining of politics and history, then was consecrated by events that remained alive in the memory of both peoples.
The beginnings go back to the 1966 World Cup, when Argentina captain Antonio Rattín was sent off in the quarter-final, before England manager Alf Ramsey described the Argentine players as “animals.”
In Argentina, that phrase was not forgotten.
Sixteen years later came the Falklands War, adding a deep political wound to the relationship between the two countries.
Then came the summer of 1986.
And here everything changed.
England no longer saw Argentina as merely a strong opponent.
They saw them as the team that inflicted on them the most painful defeat in World Cup history, in front of the world, and by their own admission.
Maradona left the English no room to deny it.
Maradona’s handball goal was considered by the English as theft.
And the Goal of the Century was considered by everyone, including many English, as a masterpiece that no one can deny its greatness.
Between the two goals, the greatest story of this rivalry was born.
After that came the 1998 encounter, with David Beckham’s red card after his clash with Diego Simeone, and England’s defeat on penalties.
Then came England’s victory in the 2002 World Cup through Beckham’s goal, which many in Britain considered a late vindication.
But the animosity did not end.
Every English generation inherited its own story with Argentina.
And every Argentine generation inherited its own memory as well.
That is why English fans still view Maradona’s Argentina as the most anger-inducing and respectable opponent at the same time.
They are angry about the “Hand of God.”
And they acknowledge the greatness of the “Goal of the Century.”
And they criticise the Argentines’ cunning on the pitch.
But they cannot deny their talent.
In contrast, Argentines see the England clash not as just a match, but as a historic milestone that invokes the memory of the Falklands, the 1986 World Cup, and all the chapters that followed.
That is why, every time the draw announces a new meeting between the two teams, history returns to the forefront.
As if time stops, for the story to begin anew.
Maradona… The Man Who Lived As He Played
If football created the legend of Maradona, his life off the pitch is what made that legend more complex.
Maradona was not a conventional star.
He was not a player who was content to train and play, then go home.
He was a public figure, a popular leader, a man with political stances, and a man who lived his life with all its contradictions.
That is why talk of him did not cease even after his death.
He said what he believed, regardless of the consequences.
He stood alongside Fidel Castro, considering him a second father, after Castro received him in Cuba and helped him in his recovery from addiction.
He bore the image of Che Guevara tattooed on his “Hand of God” as he called it, and also carried Castro’s image on his left foot which angered the English, in a clear message about his political convictions.
He never hid his enmity towards American policies, and expressed it publicly on more than one occasion.
In contrast, he did not hesitate to criticise the Vatican and the Catholic Church, believing that talk of the poor did not align with the displays of wealth he saw inside the Vatican.
He even called on Pope John Paul II, in a shocking manner for many, to “sell the golden ceilings of the Vatican if he wanted to help the poor.”
But the later years brought a notable transformation.
With the election of Pope Francis, an Argentine, Maradona returned to the Church, and admitted that the new Pope had restored his faith.
In football too, he was no less confrontational.
He entered into an open war with FIFA president João Havelange, accused FIFA’s leadership of corruption, and described them as “the Mafia.”
He refused to be treated as a player who must remain silent.
He considered himself the voice of the players.
And the voice of the poor.
And the voice of Argentina.
That is why Maradona’s character cannot be reduced to what happened on the pitch.
He was a man who lived as he played.
With passion.
With intensity.
And without fear.
That is also why he remained controversial even after his heart stopped.
Football legends often end with retirement.
But the legend of Maradona continued after his departure.
“Hand of God”… The Goal That Changed Football History, Between Controversy and Genius
In the 51st minute of the 1986 World Cup quarter-final, Diego Maradona rose with England goalkeeper Peter Shilton, and the ball touched his hand before finding the net.
Tunisian referee Ali Bennaceur awarded the goal.
The English protested.
But the decision stood.
At that moment, no one knew that the world would still be discussing that moment for decades.
Even within the Argentine team itself, the players realised that something illegal had occurred.
Maradona revealed the details of that immortal moment: that he had asked his teammates to celebrate in an exaggerated manner, because they feared the referee might change his mind if he sensed any hesitation from them.
They wanted to secure the decision before doubts began.
As for Maradona, he did not try to offer a logical explanation.
He created his own legend.
After the match, he said the phrase that entered football’s lexicon forever:
“A little of Maradona’s hand… and a little of the hand of God.”
With this sentence, he did not defend himself.
He turned the whole incident into a story.
Then came his later admission, when he said he felt no regret, because he was playing in a World Cup, and winning at that moment was more important than any apology.
But the great irony is that this goal, with all the anger it provoked, was not the most important moment of the match.
Just four minutes later, Maradona scored the goal that silenced all the technical debates.
The Goal of the Century.
For this reason, the “Hand of God” and the “Goal of the Century” remain inseparable twins.
The first represents controversy.
The second represents genius.
Between them, the complete image of Maradona was formed.
The man who, in just a few minutes, gave the world the two most controversial and admired moments in World Cup history.
Therefore, talk of the “Hand of God” is not just about an illegal goal.
But about a moment that changed the memory of the game, and cemented Maradona’s name as the player like no other, even in his most divisive moments.
Maradona wanted it as a victory to compensate for the failure of the Falklands War.
From Maradona to Messi… Why Does Argentina Remain Maradona’s Argentina?
Whenever Argentina approaches a big match, the same question returns:
Who is the greatest player in its history?
The answer varies with generations.
But when it comes to identity, the answer is almost always the same.
Maradona created a glory not built only on the pitch or through social media.
Maradona is a phenomenon, and moments.
Here the intention is not to compare numbers, goals, or titles.
Lionel Messi achieved what no other Argentine player has achieved.
He became the national team’s all-time top scorer. And he led his country to the 2022 World Cup title, meaning he did more than Maradona did.
Then he continued writing history in the 2026 edition, becoming the World Cup’s all-time top scorer.
But there is a difference between him and the greatest player, and the symbol who became part of a nation’s identity.
Basically, Messi does not dare say otherwise in his country.
Maradona was not just a team captain.
He became a mirror in which Argentines see themselves.
The boy from a poor neighbourhood.
Who challenged the world.
Who defeated the strong.
Who carried his country on his shoulders in the most difficult moments.
That is why Argentines still say “Maradona’s team,” even when Messi leads it.
Even Messi himself never tried to enter into a battle with this legacy.
He was the first to acknowledge that Maradona would remain an exceptional case.
When the legend died in 2020, Messi said:
“He has left us, but he will never leave, because Diego is eternal.”
And this is what makes the England match different.
The English do not face Messi alone.
They face a complete memory.
A memory that began before the Azteca in 1986, and still casts its shadow over every encounter between the two teams.
For this reason, Argentina today may be led by Messi on the pitch.
But in the collective consciousness of football, it will always remain Maradona’s Argentina.
Two Finals in This Tournament.. And the Real Final Is Played Today
On paper, the World Cup final will be played in a few days.
The winner will lift the trophy and be crowned world champions.
But many tournaments have another final.
A final not determined by the draw.
But imposed by the value of the match itself.
And this is what is happening in the 2026 World Cup.
Officially, the winner of the England-Argentina encounter awaits Spain in the final.
But technically, morally, and historically, many believe that today’s match is the real final.
Spain reached the final after a brilliant display against France.
Not because they defeated an ordinary team.
But because they defeated the team that had convinced the world throughout the tournament that they were the favourites.
The most complete team.
The strongest physically.
The richest in stars.
The best balanced.
Before Spain came to teach them a footballing lesson, proving that predictions are not decided by names, but by what happens on the pitch.
However, the bigger question remains:
Who will get there?
The new England, free from their historical complexes?
Or Maradona’s Argentina, carrying an immortal legacy?
This is not just a match between two teams.
It is a clash between two schools.
Between two histories.
Between two memories.
Between two philosophies.
Between the most symbol-laden rivalry in World Cup history.
That is why many believe that tonight’s winner will have passed the tournament’s toughest test.
And will reach the official final, after winning the real final.
The FIFA records may write that the final will be played in a few days.
But football’s memory may write something different.
It may write that the 2026 World Cup was effectively decided on the night England met Maradona’s Argentina.
𝟒𝟎 𝐘𝐄𝐀𝐑𝐒 𝐋𝐀𝐓𝐄𝐑 ⏰
Tonight, Argentina and England meet again in a World Cup semi-final… in a rematch of one of the most iconic games in football history 📖🖊️
Back in 1986, Diego Maradona inspired Argentina to a 2-1 victory with the Hand of God and one of the most… pic.twitter.com/mCICenLVpT
— 433 (@433) July 15, 2026
The Argentina-England Match, the Greatest Rivalry in Football History
More entertaining than Brazil vs Argentina.
More intense than Italy vs Germany.
More thrilling than Netherlands vs Spain.
It is difficult to find any World Cup fixture that carries what the England-Argentina fixture carries.
Sporting rivalries usually begin on the pitch.
But this rivalry came to football already loaded with political, military, and human history that preceded it by years.
Then football came to add new layers to the memory.
In 1966, Argentina left the quarter-final talking about refereeing injustice.
In 1986, Maradona responded in his own way.
In 1998, came the story of David Beckham and the red card against Diego Simeone.
Then came Beckham’s revenge in the 2002 World Cup.
Every time the two teams meet, the conversation does not start from zero.
The books of the past are opened all at once.
That is why the match cannot be reduced to the names of the players on the pitch.
With it come:
Maradona.
Shilton.
Beckham.
Owen.
Simeone.
Batistuta.
Juan Román Riquelme.
Harry Kane.
Messi.
And generations of memories.
That is also why no other fixture can compete with it.
The Match Built on Rivalry, and a Historical Narrative Spanning More Than Six Decades
Every generation adds a new chapter to it.
Today’s match is the latest episode in the longest story written by the World Cup.
When history turns into ninety minutes, the English will not enter the pitch thinking only of Messi.
The Argentines will enter knowing that Maradona’s name will be present in every moment, every comparison, every headline.
The legend born at the Azteca in 1986 did not end with its owner’s departure.
The true winner will earn the right to write the new chapter of the greatest rivalry the World Cup has ever known.
That is why it can be said that this tournament has two finals.
The first will be played officially in a few days, against Spain. As for the second final… it is the one being played today.
And if the trophy is lifted in the official final… history, in many cases, is written before that.
