New Delhi: Lionel Messi surpassed Miroslav Klose’s all-time FIFA World Cup goals record with a stunning brace in Argentina’s 2-0 victory over Austria, taking his tournament tally to 18.

With the brace, Messi surpassed Klose, who previously held the record with 16 World Cup goals. The achievement came during Messi’s sixth FIFA World Cup campaign, making him the first men’s player ever to appear in six editions of the tournament (2006, 2010, 2014, 2018, 2022 and 2026).

“I’ve always said Messi is no slouch,” Klose, 48, told German newspaper Sueddeutsche Zeitung. “For me, Lionel Messi is the best footballer of all time! Congratulations, champion!”

Klose held the title of the World Cup’s record scorer for 12 years, netting at every final between 2002 and 2014. scored five goals each at the 2002 and 2006 World Cups before netting four times in 2010 and twice in 2014.

Speaking prior to the tournament and in anticipation of Messi breaking his record, Klose told FIFA, “Messi is simply Messi. I’ve always admired the way he solved problems and the way he carried himself as a person, even on the pitch.”

Messi scored once in 2006, four times in 2014, once in 2018, seven times in 2022, and has netted five goals in the current tournament. He has played in a joint-record six editions of the World Cup, scoring at five of those, with his first goal at the tournament coming against Serbia and Montenegro in 2006. He was unable, however, to select his favourite of the 18 strikes, so exhausted was he after his latest act of history-making.

“I don’t know, to be honest, I can’t remember right now,” he told Telemundo. “I’m tired, I’m running low on energy, and I’m finding it hard to think, so anyway, I’m just going to enjoy this moment, and I’m looking forward to celebrating with my team-mates.”

So far, Messi has enjoyed a stellar start to the tournament, leading the tournament’s scoring race with five goals in Argentina’s opening two matches. His campaign began with a hat-trick in a first-round victory over Algeria before he added the historic record-breaking brace against Austria. The result also secured La Albiceleste’s place in the Round of 32.

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–IANS