Scaloni brings together World Cup legends

Ibrahim bin Mohammed from Riyadh

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

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

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

The 2014 World Cup winner 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 respect and friendship always united us, but this call was the first time we had an extended conversation. He told me he would send me a signed jersey."

This call reflects the strong ties and high sportsmanship between the two sides, despite the historical bitterness Messi suffered against the German machine. The two stars met face-to-face in three consecutive editions (2006, 2010, and the 2014 final), all of which ended in Germany's favor.

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

On the other hand, Messi faces fierce pursuit from Frenchman Kylian Mbappé, who has 19 goals in his historical tally, with a good chance for the French striker to reduce the gap or temporarily snatch the top spot when his team faces Morocco on Thursday evening in a quarter-final clash.