Texas [US], June 23 : German legend Miroslav Klose congratulated Lionel Messi and hailed the Argentine captain as the "best footballer of all time" after the 38-year-old overtook Klose to become the highest goalscorer in FIFA World Cup history, as per Goal.com.
Messi achieved the feat during Argentina's Group J clash against Austria on Monday, June 22 (local time), scoring twice in a 2-0 victory that helped the defending champions secure qualification for the knockout stage.
The Argentine star entered the match level with Klose on 16 World Cup goals after equalling the German's record in Argentina's tournament opener against Algeria.
Messi then overtook Klose with his opening goal in the 38th minute against Austria before adding another in stoppage time to take his overall World Cup tally to 18 goals.
Klose congratulated Messi for surpassing his record and also hailed the Argentine captain as the best footballer of all time.
"I've always said Messi is no slouch. For me, Leo is the best footballer of all time! Congratulations, champion," Klose said as quoted by Goal.com.
Apart from becoming the all-time leading goalscorer in men's FIFA World Cup history, Messi also achieved another significant milestone during the match.
According to Opta, the 38-year-old became only the second player in men's FIFA World Cup history to score four or more goals in three different editions of the tournament (2014, 2022 and 2026). The only other player to accomplish the feat is Klose.
The two goals against Austria also propelled Messi to the top of the scoring charts at the ongoing FIFA World Cup 2026, with five goals in just two matches. He had entered the fixture on the back of a hat-trick against Algeria in Argentina's opening game of the tournament.
The 38-year-old has now scored in six consecutive World Cup matches and has equalled the all-time record of six straight World Cup games with a goal, a mark jointly held by France's Just Fontaine and Brazil's Jairzinho.
With six points from two matches, Argentina currently sit at the top of Group J and has already secured its place in the knockout stage of the tournament.