{"id":33373,"date":"2026-06-17T12:33:41","date_gmt":"2026-06-17T11:33:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.funminews.com\/?p=33373"},"modified":"2026-06-17T12:33:43","modified_gmt":"2026-06-17T11:33:43","slug":"lionel-messi-joins-miroslav-klose-at-16-goals-in-fifa-world-cup-history","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.funminews.com\/index.php\/2026\/06\/17\/lionel-messi-joins-miroslav-klose-at-16-goals-in-fifa-world-cup-history\/","title":{"rendered":"Lionel Messi Joins Miroslav Klose at 16 Goals in FIFA World Cup History"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) \u2014 Lionel Messi has joined Germany\u2019s Miroslav Klose at the top of the FIFA World Cup\u2019s all-time scoring chart with 16 goals, after netting a hat trick in Argentina\u2019s 2026 World Cup opener against Algeria on Wednesday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The milestone places Messi alongside Klose, who set the record in 2014, as the most prolific scorers in the tournament\u2019s history. Messi has now scored across six World Cups, beginning in 2006, while Klose reached his tally in four editions between 2002 and 2014.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Brazil\u2019s Ronaldo Naz\u00e1rio follows closely with 15 goals, while France\u2019s Kylian Mbapp\u00e9 and Germany\u2019s Gerd M\u00fcller each have 14. Mbapp\u00e9, still only 27, has achieved his total in just 15 matches, underscoring his potential to surpass both Messi and Klose before the end of the tournament.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The official FIFA list highlights the enduring legacy of past legends such as Just Fontaine, who scored 13 goals in a single World Cup in 1958, and Pel\u00e9, who amassed 12 across four tournaments. Other notable names include Argentina\u2019s Gabriel Batistuta, England\u2019s Gary Lineker, and Germany\u2019s Thomas M\u00fcller, each with 10 goals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Globally, the record underscores the World Cup\u2019s role as football\u2019s ultimate stage, where careers are defined and national pride is magnified. Messi\u2019s achievement adds another chapter to his storied career, already decorated with a Copa Am\u00e9rica title and a 2022 World Cup triumph.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Reactions have poured in from fans and analysts worldwide. Argentine supporters celebrated Messi\u2019s feat as proof of his longevity and consistency, while German commentators noted the symbolic passing of the torch from Klose\u2019s era to Messi\u2019s. FIFA officials hailed the updated list as a reminder of the tournament\u2019s rich history and its ability to unite generations of players and fans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With the 2026 World Cup still in its early stages, attention now turns to whether Messi or Mbapp\u00e9 can break clear of Klose\u2019s record, setting a new benchmark for future stars.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) \u2014 Lionel Messi has joined Germany\u2019s Miroslav Klose at the top of the FIFA World Cup\u2019s all-time scoring chart with 16 goals, after netting a hat trick in Argentina\u2019s 2026 World Cup opener against Algeria on Wednesday. The milestone places Messi alongside Klose, who set the record in 2014, as the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":11,"featured_media":33374,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[25,4,5,7],"tags":[19391,19396,19397,18916,19392,19394,19393,19395],"class_list":["post-33373","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-entertainment","category-featured","category-international","category-sports","tag-fifa-world-cup-top-scorers","tag-gerd-muller-germany-striker","tag-just-fontaine-1958-record","tag-kylian-mbappe-world-cup-goals","tag-lionel-messi-world-cup-goals","tag-messi-hat-trick-algeria-2026","tag-miroslav-klose-record","tag-ronaldo-nazario-brazil-goals"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.funminews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Lione-Messi.webp?fit=1024%2C722&ssl=1","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.funminews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33373","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.funminews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.funminews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.funminews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/11"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.funminews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=33373"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.funminews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33373\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":33376,"href":"https:\/\/www.funminews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33373\/revisions\/33376"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.funminews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/33374"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.funminews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=33373"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.funminews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=33373"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.funminews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=33373"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}