Lionel Messi broke Miroslav Klose’s World Cup goals record with a brace for Argentina against Austria in the 2026 World Cup. Not long after Messi put on another performance for the ages—although he became the first player to miss a penalty in the 2026 World Cup—Klose broke his silence.
“I’ve always said Messi is no slouch. For me, Lionel Messi is the best of all time,” Klose admitted in dialogue with German news outlet Süddeutsche Zeitung after Messi snapped his World Cup goals record. “Congratulations, champ!”
Klose became the leading goalscorer in World Cup history after scoring two goals at the 2014 World Cup, raising his overall tally to 16 goals. Since then, he had been alone at the top, though Messi was closely chasing him. Klose’s reign lasted 12 years, but it has come to an end.
How Messi broke Klose’s record
Back in 2014, Messi had only scored five goals for Argentina in FIFA World Cups. Thus, he was 11 goals behind Klose in the all-time rankings. It felt difficult to imagine he could ever claim the throne, but it has happened. Messi scored once in 2018, seven times in 2022, and has five goals in two games in the 2026 World Cup.
Lionel Messi #10 of Argentina.
Messi had moved level with Klose thanks to his hat trick against Algeria in Argentina’s debut. Now, he has snatched the crown from Klose with a brace against Austria. As Klose lost control of his realm, however, he took things with grace and acknowledged he lost the race to the best of all time.
Klose’s record vs Messi in World Cup
Klose can still hold two achievements over Messi’s head, though. Klose’s Germany defeated Messi’s Argentina in the 2014 World Cup final, years after eliminating La Albiceleste in the 2006 World Cup quarterfinals. Both times the stars met in FIFA World Cups, Klose and Germany came out on top.
Moreover, Klose won the World Cup Golden Boot in 2006, an award Messi has yet to win. However, that could change soon if Messi keeps up his scoring form in 2026. Twenty years later, Messi may finally get back everything Klose had that he didn’t.
Messi vs Mbappe: New battle for the goals record
With Messi climbing past Klose, a new battle for the title of all-time leading goalscorer begins. Because Klose is retired and coaching Bundesliga 2 side Nuremberg, he can no longer give Messi a run for his money. Instead, a new head-to-head battle is on between Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe.
As things stand, Messi has 18 goals in World Cups, but Mbappe is staying close with 15 (and counting). As the 2026 World Cup progresses, fans across the globe might see changes at the top of the all-time rankings.
