Legendary German striker Miroslav Klose has expressed confidence that his long-standing record as the highest goal scorer in FIFA World Cup history could be broken during the ongoing tournament, identifying Lionel Messi as the player most likely to surpass the milestone. Klose, who scored 16 goals across four World Cup editions and remains the tournament's all-time leading scorer, believes the expanded format of the competition increases the chances of records being rewritten.
Speaking to German newspaper Süddeutsche Zeitung, Klose pointed out that the World Cup's expansion from 32 to 48 teams has created more matches and more opportunities for leading players to add to their goal tallies. The former Germany international said he expects his record to fall during the tournament, particularly with Argentina captain Lionel Messi and France star Kylian Mbappe continuing to perform at the highest level on football's biggest stage.
Messi, who is participating in a historic sixth FIFA World Cup campaign, currently has 13 World Cup goals and needs only three more to equal Klose's record. Meanwhile, France captain Kylian Mbappe has already amassed 12 goals despite still being in the early stages of his international career. Both players are expected to lead their nations deep into the tournament, further increasing their chances of challenging the German legend's achievement.
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Klose made it clear that he would be happy to see Messi become the new record holder, describing the Argentine as one of football's greatest talents. The former striker said he has always admired Messi's abilities and would welcome him breaking the record. He also noted that Argentina and France are among the strongest contenders in the tournament and are expected to play several matches, providing additional opportunities for their star forwards to score.
The German great also praised Argentina head coach Lionel Scaloni, recalling their time together at Lazio in Italy. Klose said he developed a friendship with Scaloni during their playing days and continues to hold great respect for the Argentine coach. He credited Scaloni's leadership for helping Argentina remain one of the strongest teams in international football following their World Cup triumph.
Messi appears set to begin Argentina's title defence against Algeria after reporting positive fitness levels following the team's final pre-tournament friendly victory over Iceland. Argentina will subsequently face Austria and Jordan in the group stage as they aim to retain the World Cup crown. With Messi closing in on another historic milestone, the tournament could witness one of football's most iconic records finally being surpassed.
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