Klose’s tribute to the World Cup’s all-time top scorer | OneFootball

Miroslav Klose, the legendary German striker, congratulated Lionel Messi, who scored a brace against Austria in Dallas, broke the record, and became the all-time top scorer in World Cup history.

La Pulga had already matched his tally of 16 goals with his spectacular hat trick against Algeria in Kansas in Argentina’s World Cup opener. Now, with his two new goals, he stands alone at the top of that ranking, with 18 goals across his six tournaments.

“For me, Lionel Messi is the best footballer of all time! Congratulations, champion!” Klose, a world champion with Germany in Brazil 2014, told the German newspaper Süddeutsche Zeitung.

The 48-year-old former striker had already made clear his admiration for La Pulga and said he did not mind having his record broken at this World Cup. “No problem, the record will be broken sooner or later, and Messi is more than welcome to do it. I’m a big admirer of Messi, I always have been. He’s a genius,” he said before the start of the tournament.

With his brace against Austria in Dallas, the Albiceleste captain climbed to the top of that ranking with 18 goals in his six World Cups. South Africa 2010 was the only one in which he failed to score. In this edition, he already has 5.

Lionel Messi surpassed Miroslav Klose’s mark and is the top scorer in World Cup history.

In this tournament, the only player who seems capable of threatening the record is France’s Kylian Mbappé, who opened with a brace against Senegal and reached 14 goals (in just 15 appearances) at the age of 27. England’s Harry Kane (10 goals) and Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo (8) are also still in the competition, but far behind.

Lionel Messi, the global football star who will turn 39 on June 24, continues to make history in football. La Pulga leads the Argentina national team, which has earned its second win and dreams of competing for back-to-back titles at the 2026 World Cup.

With his goal against Austria, Messi reached 17 celebrations in World Cups and leads the standings

The top scorers in World Cup history

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇪🇸 here.