Messi surpasses Klose to become the outright top scorer in World Cup history

Lionel Messi is now the outright leading scorer in World Cup history after netting his 17th goal at the tournament against Austria, surpassing Germany legend Miroslav Klose’s long-standing record of 16.

The Argentina captain had drawn level with Klose just days earlier, completing a hat-trick against Algeria to match the mark. He then had the chance to claim the record outright from the penalty spot in the Austria fixture, following a VAR-awarded penalty, but fired his effort wide.

The breakthrough eventually came when Messi latched onto a low cross — dummied by Rodrigo de Paul — and hammered the ball past goalkeeper Alexander Schlager to write his name into the history books.

Despite the magnitude of the achievement, Messi was characteristically understated when reflecting on his record-equalling treble against Algeria. “Honestly, no [I don’t attach importance to the record],” he said. “It’s an honour to be there because of what it means to be there next to Klose, Ronaldo is there too, but I don’t think it means anything. Mbappe is there, he scored two today. It’s a statistic and nothing more. While it’s an honour to be able to compete with all of them, it doesn’t mean anything to me. Ronaldo, from what I saw, was one of the greatest and he’s not in first place, so it all comes down to a statistic.”

The record-breaking moment arrives against a backdrop of personal difficulty for Messi. He was visibly emotional after his record-equalling goal, and it has since emerged that his father, Jorge, is unwell. A statement from the Messi family confirmed Jorge is under medical supervision and “progressing favorably,” while urging the media to respect the family’s privacy and refrain from speculation. The family stated that only those closest to Jorge hold accurate information about his condition, and that any updates would be communicated through official channels.

Argentina will complete their World Cup group stage campaign in their next fixture, with Messi now carrying both the weight of history and the hopes of a nation.