Lionel Messi broke Miroslav Klose’s record at this very World Cup. Klose had long held the record for most goals scored at the World Cup. Messi has now surpassed Klose’s 16 goals, with his tally now standing at 21.
It wouldn’t be unusual to feel a pang of regret at losing such a record to a foreign player. But Klose harbors no such regret. In fact, he reportedly spoke with the Argentine star after the record was broken.
In an interview with French outlet L’Equipe, Klose said: “Messi is an incredible, astonishing talent!” The former German star then described his conversation with Messi.
Klose played alongside Lionel Scaloni at Italian club Lazio from 2011 to 2013. That friendship has endured. Scaloni is now Argentina’s coach, and it was through him that Klose came to speak with Messi.
Hear the full story from Klose himself: “Scaloni was my teammate. We stay in regular contact. After Messi matched my World Cup scoring record, Scaloni arranged this phone call between us. It was a very emotional moment.”
That’s not all — during the conversation, the Argentine captain also promised to send him a gift. Smiling, Klose said: “He (Messi) told me he’ll send me a jersey signed by him.”
Klose won the World Cup with Germany on Brazilian soil in 2014. His opponent in that World Cup final was Lionel Messi’s Argentina. The two have also faced each other on multiple other occasions.
Currently head coach of German second-division club FC Nuremberg, Klose said he had never had such a long conversation with Messi before: “I’ve crossed paths with Messi occasionally, and it was always very pleasant and cordial. But this was the first time we spoke at length off the pitch.”
After Messi broke the record for most World Cup goals, Klose had already publicly expressed his admiration for the Argentina captain. After Messi’s 18th goal, scored against Austria, surpassed the record, the former German striker had said: “To me, Lionel Messi is the greatest footballer of all time. Congratulations, champion!”
Now, he has spoken with Messi himself.
বাংলায় মূল প্রতিবেদন পড়ুন · Read the original Bengali report