Lionel Messi, captain of Argentina, surprised former Germany striker Miroslav Klose after breaking his historic World Cup record.

Messi became the all-time top scorer in World Cup history with 21 goals, after scoring 8 goals in the 2026 World Cup, breaking the historic record previously held by Klose with 16 goals.

Klose said in remarks reported by French radio Monte Carlo: 'Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni was my teammate at Lazio, and we remain in regular contact. He arranged a call between me and Messi, and it was very moving.'

He added: 'It's true that we met from time to time on the pitch, and that was always a pleasure for me, but that phone call was the first time we had a long conversation outside those matches.'

He concluded: 'Messi told me he would send me a signed jersey. The record was going to be broken anyway, and Messi is welcome to do it. I am a big fan of his, and I always have been.'

It is worth noting that Messi equaled Klose's historic record after scoring a hat-trick that led Argentina to a 3-0 win over Algeria in the first round of group stage, before breaking the record with a brace in a 2-0 victory over Austria.