‘I’ve Always Said’—Miroslav Klose Reacts to Lionel Messi Taking World Cup Goal Record

Two strikes against Austria took Messi up to 18 career goals at the World Cup.

Lionel Messi (left) moved to the top of the scoring charts. | Torbjorn Tande/DeFodi Images/Christof Koepsel/Getty Images

Germany legend Miroslav Klose admitted his delight towards seeing Lionel Messi break his goal record at the World Cup.

A hat trick in Argentina’s opener against Algeria saw Messi move level with Klose on 16 goals, before the Inter Miami forward netted another two against Austria to take him clear at the top of the all-time standings.

“I’ve always said Messi is no slouch,” Klose laughed to the Süddeutsche Zeitung. “For me, Lionel Messi is the best footballer of all time! Congratulations, champion.”

For Klose, losing the record this summer came as no surprise. Before the tournament began, he confessed: “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. [Messi is] a genius.”

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Top Scorers in World Cup History

Player	Goals Scored
Lionel Messi	18
Miroslav Klose	16
Kylian Mbappé	16
Ronaldo	15
Gerd Müller	14

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Messi’s Typically Understated Reaction

Messi kept his emotions hidden. | Jia Haocheng/Xinhua/Getty Images

While Klose was full of excitement discussing the fall of his famous record, Messi opted for a different route.

Never one to give too much away in front of the media, Messi’s initial reaction to breaking the record saw him admit he was “too tired to think about it.”

“I’m enjoying this moment and looking forward to being with my teammates ... it’s been spectacular how it has all unfolded,” he said. “I had the penalty, which could have increased my tally. But perhaps the others wouldn’t have come, you never know. I’m happy with the team.”

Compete against the world. | SPORTS ILLUSTRATED

Later, when given chance to catch his breath, Messi offered a little more excitement before once again turning the focus towards the wider team performance.

“Happiness, obviously,” Messi confessed, when asked what he was feeling after breaking such a significant record. “A lot of happiness, especially for the victory. A very hard-earned victory.

“Happy for the result, for the qualification. It was important for us to get six points to have a more peaceful week. That’s it. So yeah, happy.”

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How World Cup Goal Record Could Be Broken Again This Summer

Kylian Mbappé’s climb up the rankings has flown under the radar. | ANP/Getty Images

While Messi’s goal exploits have dominated the headlines so far—and justifiably so—another player has enjoyed a real surge up the rankings this summer.

Kylian Mbappé actually moved level with Klose on 16 goals just hours after Messi made it to 18. The Frenchman reached that total in what was his 16th game at the World Cup, boasting an unbelievable goals-per-game ratio that not even Messi can match.

Messi may have claimed the record for now, but Mbappé, who has four goals in two games this summer, could easily climb above the Argentine if the stars align over the coming weeks.

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