German legend Miroslav Klose eclipsed Brazil legend Ronaldo Nazario to become the player with the most FIFA World Cup goals in 2014. And, he believes that his record of 16 World Cup goals could be broken by either Lionel Messi or Kylian Mbappe soon.
Lionel Messi Backed by Miroslav Klose To Vanquish FIFA World Cup Record
During a recent chat with Sport Bild, Klose was asked whether his FIFA World Cup record of 16 goals in 24 appearances would ever be broken by any soccer player in the future.
The 2014 FIFA World Cup winner replied, “I’m sure my goalscoring record at the World Cup will be broken soon. Either Messi will achieve it at this World Cup, or at the latest, Mbappe will do it at the next one. I’m a huge Messi fan. If it happens, I’d hope it’s him, if he’s still playing. But Mbappe is also an incredible talent. I wish them both good health and also the ability to perform.”
Klose, who contributed 100 goal involvements (71 goals and 29 assists) in 137 matches for Germany, added, “I knew the record would fall at some point if you made the tournament bigger. Of course, that gives smaller teams like Curacao a chance. It’s also good that teams like that get the opportunity to play in a World Cup. But, I still have the most wins at a World Cup, and I’m the only one to have played in four semi-finals. Those are some of the things I still have.”
During his playing career, Klose represented his national team in four separate World Cups. He won the Golden Boot once, in 2006, after winning the Silver Boot in the 2002 edition.
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Messi, on the other hand, is currently fourth in the FIFA World Cup top goalscorers list with 13 goals in 26 matches so far. The Inter Miami captain, tied with Just Fontaine on 13 goals, has only been outscored by Klose (16), Ronaldo (15), and Gerd Muller (14) till date.
Mbappe, meanwhile, is tied with Pele in sixth place on the aforementioned list with 12 goals in 14 games. The France and Real Madrid attacker, who scored a hat-trick in the 2022 final against Argentina, has played in two World Cups and is 11 years younger than Messi.
At the 2026 FIFA World Cup, Messi will face Algeria, Austria, and debutants Jordan in Group J. Mbappe will face Senegal, Norway, and one of Bolivia, Suriname, and Iraq in Group I.
