“Messi is the greatest of all time,” says Miroslav Klose

Darwin, 23 June: Lionel Messi has written a new chapter in World Cup history. By scoring a brace against Austria in Dallas, he has overtaken German legend Miroslav Klose and set a new all-time record of 18 goals.

Before the match, Messi and Klose were tied at the top with 16 goals each. The Argentine captain had already equaled the record by scoring a hat-trick in the first match against Algeria. He then moved beyond it by adding two more goals against Austria, reaching a new historic milestone.

Following this achievement, Klose also responded positively. In an interview with the German newspaper Süddeutsche Zeitung, the 2014 World Cup winner said that he considers Messi the greatest footballer of all time and congratulated him on breaking the record. Klose had previously stated that he would accept it naturally if someone broke his record and would welcome a talent like Messi.

Having played in six World Cups, Messi has now scored 18 goals, finding the net in almost every edition of the tournament except 2010. In the current tournament alone, his goal tally has already reached five.

Meanwhile, the closest among the next generation is Kylian Mbappé with 14 goals in 15 matches. Harry Kane and Cristiano Ronaldo are also on the list but are comparatively far behind.

With his 39th birthday approaching on June 24, Messi has once again proven that even with age, he continues to write his place in football history.