Germany legend Miroslav Klose expressed complete delight after seeing his all-time World Cup goal scoring record getting broken by Argentina captain Lionel Messi. Speaking to the Suddeutsche Zeitung, Klose laughed and stated he always knew Messi was no slouch before declaring the Argentine icon as the greatest footballer of all time and offering his congratulations.
Lionel Messi scored his record 17th and 18th goal in Argentina’s 2-0 victory over Austria in their 2nd Group J game to surpass the 2014 World Cup winning forward who had 16 goals to his name. A few hours after Messi officially became the highest goal scorer, France’s Kylian Mbappe also equaled Miroslav Klose’s tally with a brace in Iraq’s 3-0 win.
Also Read: FIFA World Cup 2026: England and Ghana brace themselves for Group L summit decider
Klose hails Messi as the ‘GOAT’
Back in 2014, Miroslav Klose and Germany had famously stopped Lionel Messi from becoming a World Champion after Die Mannschaft defeated Argentina 1-0 in the final. 12 years later, Messi is not only a World Cup winner but also the highest goal scorer by dethroning Klose.
When asked to speak on Messi’s achievement, the former German striker revealed that losing the historic milestone this summer came as absolutely no surprise to him. “I’ve always said Messi is no slouch. For me, Lionel Messi is the best footballer of all time. Congratulations, champion”, Miroslav Klose told German media outlet Suddeutsche Zeitung.
In fact, before the tournament even kicked off across the United States of America, Mexico and Canada, Klose had already confessed he was perfectly fine with the record being broken eventually. He noted that Messi was more than welcome to take the crown, openly admitting to being a massive lifelong fan of the forward and labeling him a pure footballing genius.
“That’s perfectly fine, the record will be broken eventually anyway, and then Messi is welcome to do it. I’m a big fan of Messi, always have been. He is a genius,” Klose had said before the FIFA World Cup 2026.
How Lionel Messi broke the all time record?
Lionel Messi broke the long-standing record by taking his career World Cup tally to 18 goals during a spectacular group-stage run. He arrived at the tournament on 13 goals and rapidly climbed the ladder. A brilliant hat-trick in Argentina’s tournament opener against Algeria instantly moved him level with Klose on 16 goals.
Messi then claimed the record by scoring a crucial brace against Austria in Dallas to hit the 18-goal mark. His masterclass against the Austrians included a clinical first-time finish in the first half followed by a late injury-time rebound to seal a 2-0 win.
These performances have also made Messi the leading Golden Boot contender in the first-ever expanded 48-team tournament as he sits at the summit of the scoring charts with 5 goals in just 2 matches. The 38-year-old’s antics pushed the reigning World Champions through to the round of 32.
