Messi called Klose after breaking his World Cup goal record, describing the conversation as 'very moving'

Miroslav Klose, the former Germany striker, has revealed that he spoke with Lionel Messi after the Argentine star broke his World Cup goal record during the 2026 edition.

Lionel Messi, known for his respect for the history of the sport, reached out to Klose after surpassing his record of 16 World Cup goals. The former German goalscorer shared details of their exchange, noting that Messi scored eight goals in the 2026 tournament alone, bringing his career total to 21 goals across six World Cup appearances.

"It Was Very Moving"

"Argentina's coach, Lionel Scaloni, was my teammate at Lazio Rome (2011-2013)," Klose said on a show for FC Nuremberg, a German second-division club he coaches, as reported by L'Equipe. "We are still in regular contact. He arranged a call between Messi and me, it was very moving. Of course, we had crossed paths on the pitch from time to time, which was always pleasant and respectful. But this phone call was the first time we talked at such length outside of those meetings."

Messi Will Send a Jersey to Klose

"He told me he would send me a signed jersey," added Klose, the all-time top scorer for the German national team (137 caps, 71 goals). Klose had previously broken Ronaldo's record of 15 goals during the 2014 World Cup semifinal against Brazil (7-1), in his fourth and final World Cup appearance.

"It's no big deal, the record will be broken anyway, and Messi is welcome to do it. I'm a big fan of Messi, I always have been," Klose had said before the 2026 World Cup. The tournament began with a hat-trick from Messi against Algeria (3-0). He then equaled Klose's record before breaking it in the next match with a brace against Austria (2-0).

Other Players Closing In

Another player took advantage of this World Cup to break the record of the former Bayern Munich player: Kylian Mbappé. With seven goals in 2026, the striker brought his total to 19 in World Cups. England's Harry Kane, who scored six times in 2026, is also lurking to catch up or overtake him with 14 goals.

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