Miroslav Klose says Lionel Messi can surpass his World Cup record

Miroslav Klose expects his World Cup goal record to be broken in the current tournament in North America. He says the expanded format means more matches and more opportunities to score, and noted the curtain-raiser in which co-hosts Mexico defeated South Africa has officially begun the race for the milestone.

The former Bayern Munich striker, now FC Nurnberg manager, was clear about the outcome: "I expect my record to be broken in this tournament." He added, "Messi is welcome to do it. I'm a huge Messi fan, always have been." Klose went on to call the Inter Miami forward a genius and spoke warmly of his relationship with Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni, saying he played with Scaloni at Lazio and that they are good friends.

Klose's tally stands at 16 goals from 24 World Cup appearances. Messi has 13 tournament goals and Kylian Mbappé 12 from 14 appearances.

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