What Miroslav Klose told Lionel Messi days before his World Cup goalscoring record was broken

Lionel Messi has broken Miroslav Klose's record to become the highest-scoring player in the history of the World Cup.

The Argentina icon netted in the first half of his side's Group J clash against Austria to take yet another footballing record outright by scoring his 17th World Cup goal.

Messi started the tournament three goals behind former Germany striker Klose's tally of 16, but wiped out that deficit with a hat-trick in Argentina's opening 3-0 win over Algeria.

It was, in many ways, a trademark Messi goal that brought up the landmark.

The Inter Miami forward found space on the edge of the box, ran forward and perfectly placed a first-time left-footed finish beyond the grasp of Austria goalkeeper Alexander Schlager.

Messi ran straight over to the Argentina supporters positioned in one of the four corners of the Dallas Stadium, and was mobbed by his team-mates.

HE'S DONE IT!! ⭐🇦🇷

Lionel Messi gets his goal and becomes the outright all-time top scorer in the men's World Cup! pic.twitter.com/kDZyUkn7MJ

— Match of the Day (@BBCMOTD) June 22, 2026

He could have had the record even earlier in the first half, but uncharacteristically stroked a penalty well wide of the right post.

That only delayed the inevitable, with the 38-year-old now standing alone as the World Cup's greatest-ever goalscorer.

If 17 wasn't enough, Messi added goal number 18 in the second half to secure a 2-0 win over Austria.

Klose, who won the 2014 World Cup with Germany, had set the record at that same tournament by overtaking Brazil legend Ronaldo.

The 48-year-old will not have been shocked in the slightest that Messi is now the record holder, judging by comments he made as the tournament got underway.

He told German outlet Suddeutsche Zeitung earlier in June that he was at peace with his record being broken, describing Messi as a 'genius'.

"I expect my record to be broken in this tournament," Klose said. "With more teams, there are more matches, and therefore more opportunities to score goals. And I expect Argentina and France to go far.

"That's perfectly fine, the record will be broken eventually anyway. Messi is welcome to do it. I'm a huge Messi fan, always have been. Messi is a genius.

"And I also have a lot of respect for the Argentinian coach [Lionel] Scaloni. I played with him at Lazio, and he showed me around the city a bit back then. We're good friends."

On the expanded format of 48 teams, which means potentially one extra match for two nations and increased the likelihood of his record being broken this summer, Klose said it was 'simply wonderful' to see teams such as Curacao - one of five World Cup debutants - play at the World Cup.

Messi could lose his new World Cup record this summer

Ironically, Messi himself could only hold the all-time goalscoring record for a matter of days - depending on how far Argentina and France go at the 2026 World Cup.

That is because France captain Kylian Mbappe is only four goals behind Messi, having struck on 14 occasions since making his World Cup debut in 2018.

Mbappe has brought up that figure in just 15 games - an average of 0.93 goals per game - and could increase his tally further when France face Iraq at Philadelphia Stadium later on Monday.

That match has been placed under a First Alert warning by weather forecasters due to the possibility of 'torrential downpours, damaging wind, and even an isolated tornado'.

In the event of a lightning strike, official government guidance - which FIFA follows - states that people should wait at least 30 minutes after the last thunder before continuing outdoor activities.

READ MORE: What FIFA guidance says about World Cup postponements as France vs Iraq placed under First Alert

World Cup regulations mandate that, if a match is started and then suspended before its completion, it would be resumed from the minute it was stopped on the date of the rescheduled fixture.

Mbappe, therefore, might have to wait a little longer to attempt to add to the two goals he scored in France's 3-1 win over Senegal - but it depends entirely on the weather.