Germany legend Klose names player who could break his World Cup goal record in 2026

Germany legend Miroslav Klose has predicted that Argentina captain Lionel Messi will break his World Cup goalscoring record during the current tournament.

In an interview with Süddeutsche Zeitung, the 48‑year‑old praised Messi as a genius.

Klose has netted 16 goals in 24 World Cup matches, while Messi has scored 13 goals in 26 matches.

The Inter Miami striker would need four more goals to surpass Klose’s tally.

“I expect my record to be broken in this tournament. With more teams, there are more matches and therefore more opportunities to score goals,” Klose said.

“And I expect Argentina and France to go far. That is 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.”