At the World Cup, personal records are also played for.

2026-06-11 10:33:00, Sport CNA

The start of the World Cup is counting down the last minutes and the participating national teams are preparing for the main objective, winning the most important trophy in world football. However, in addition to the race for the title, this tournament could also bring important changes in the record books, especially in the ranking of the best scorers in World Cup history.

In the spotlight are Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe, two of the most recognizable names in international football. In addition to being considered among the most important players on their teams, they also have the opportunity to approach or even break one of the most important individual records of the World Cup.

The record is currently held by former German striker Miroslav Klose, who scored 16 goals during his World Cup career. This figure remains the highest in the tournament's history and has been a target for players who manage to play in multiple editions of the World Cup for years.

One of the main candidates to approach this record is Lionel Messi. The captain of Argentina, the reigning world champion, comes to this tournament at the age of 38. According to expectations, this will be the last World Cup of his career. Messi has scored 13 goals in the world championships so far and is only three goals away from Klose's figure. This means that during this competition he has the opportunity to equal or surpass the record, depending on Argentina's performance and his contribution in the matches of the tournament.

But the race for this record is not limited to the Argentine captain. Immediately behind him is Kylian Mbappe. The French striker has scored 12 goals in World Cups and is only four goals away from Klose's record. At 27, the France captain not only has the opportunity to significantly close the gap on the leader during this World Cup, but also has time to participate in another edition of the tournament.

For this reason, Mbappe's name is considered one of the most serious threats to the former German striker's historic record. Any goal scored by him or Messi during this World Cup could change the ranking of the competition's all-time top scorers.

While the focus remains on the matches and the fight for the trophy, this individual record is expected to be one of the most talked about topics of the tournament. Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe will enter this World Cup with different objectives for their national teams, but also with the opportunity to leave their mark on World Cup history, challenging the 16-goal mark set by Miroslav Klose.