Gift, Promise, and a Call: Klose Reveals What Messi Did After Breaking His Record

Ibrahim bin Mohammed from Riyadh

Friday, July 10, 2026 13:10 | 2 minutes read

Miroslav Klose, the German football legend, revealed the background of a highly emotional phone call -- as he described it -- between him and Argentine star Lionel Messi, after the latter succeeded in breaking his record to become the all-time top scorer in World Cup tournaments.

Klose, who currently coaches FC Nuremberg in the German second division, explained that Argentina national team coach Lionel Scaloni was behind this humane gesture. Klose and Scaloni share a long-standing friendship and continuous communication since they were teammates at Italian club Lazio, which Scaloni used to arrange the call immediately when Messi equaled the record.

The 2014 world champion said during an event organized by his German club: "Messi is an incredible phenomenon. We met on the pitch several times in the past, and there was always respect and warmth between us, but this call was the first time we had an extended conversation. He told me he would send me a signed shirt."

This call reflects the strength of relationships and high sportsmanship between the two parties, despite the historical bitterness Messi experienced against the German machine, as the two stars faced each other in three consecutive editions (2006, 2010, and the 2014 final), all of which ended in favor of the Germans.

Klose also noted that he is closely following the intense two-way battle for the all-time top scorer throne; where Messi (39 years old) sits at the top with 21 goals, after scoring 8 goals in the current edition, the latest being the decisive equalizer against Egypt (3-2) in the round of 16, after he started the tournament with a historic hat-trick against Algeria, equaling Klose's record (16 goals).

In contrast, Messi faces a fierce chase from Frenchman Kylian Mbappé, who has 19 goals in his historical tally, with an opportunity for the French striker to reduce the gap or temporarily seize the lead when his national team faces Morocco this Thursday evening in the quarter-final match.