A few months before the 2026 World Cup, Miroslav Klose naturally accepted that one of the most emblematic records in the history of the competition could change owners. The former German striker, the World Cup's all-time top scorer with 16 goals, acknowledged that his tally is seriously threatened by the great stars of modern soccer.
In an interview with the German newspaper Bild, the world champion in Brazil 2014 was blunt: "I'm sure my scoring record at World Cups will be broken soon. Either Lionel Messi achieves it at this World Cup, or at the latest Kylian Mbappé at the next one".
The numbers back up his analysis. Messi has 13 goals in five appearances, while Mbappé has 12 in just two, both very close to a mark that Klose has led for more than a decade. Behind them appear historic names such as Ronaldo Nazário with 15 goals and Gerd Müller with 14.
The former German forward also drew a distinction between his era as a player and that of his possible successors. During his career with the national team, he explained, he wasn't the one in charge of taking penalties, a detail that could have inflated his goal tally and that today is part of the usual repertoire of both the Argentine captain and the French forward for Real Madrid.
Beyond the scorers' table, Klose recalled that he still holds other notable achievements in the history of the tournament: "I think I still have the highest number of wins at a World Cup and I'm the only player who has played in four semifinals", he emphasized.
