Klose Congratulates Messi After Breaking His Historic Record: The Best in Football History

German legend Miroslav Klose sent a congratulatory message to Argentine star Lionel Messi after he successfully broke the record for the most goals scored by a player in World Cup history.

Klose said in statements reported by German media: "I have always said that Messi is not a bad player," before jokingly adding: "For me, Lionel Messi is the best football player in the history of the game! Congratulations, champ."

Messi topped the World Cup scorers' list in history after raising his tally to 18 goals during the current 2026 World Cup edition, surpassing the previous record held by Klose with 16 goals. The achievement came after he scored twice in Argentina's victory over Austria in the group stage matches.

Klose's praise for Messi was not surprising, as the German star had previously confirmed before the tournament started that he expected his record to fall during this edition, expressing his wish that Messi would be the one to break it, describing him then as a "genius" and stating that he has been a big fan of his for many years.

Messi continues to make history in his sixth World Cup participation, having led Argentina to qualify for the knockout stages, while he approaches his 39th birthday as he tops the list of the tournament's all-time top scorers.