Article by Maria Olteanu – Published on Tuesday, 09 June 2026, 14:41 / Updated on Tuesday, 09 June 2026 14:42
World Championship in the United States, Canada and Mexico will debut in the middle of this week, and with it, the great footballers of the planet will dream of lifting the trophy above their heads. However, beyond the collective stake, there are other battles at play, with footballers who want to enter football history for good. Leo MESS (38 years old) and Kylian Mbappe (27 years old) are the two players aiming to break the record of 16 goals held by German Miroslav Klose.
The Argentine and the Frenchman, finalists in the 2022 edition, are among the big favorites to win the tournament, but the stakes are much higher. Both players can achieve something unique in this sport: they can set a record that would enshrine them as the all-time leading scorers at the World Championships. Now, the record of 16 goals belongs to Miroslav Klose, according to marca.com.
Leo Messi, facing the last chance
“The 2026 World Cup will probably be my last,” Messi said in recent months. The Argentine star is 38 years old and is on the last hundred meters of his career. However, logic dictates that this is an unmissable opportunity for the Argentine to become the top goalscorer in World Cup history.
With 13 goals, the player from Inter Miami is already in the top 10, only three successes away from equaling Klose at the top of the ranking.
However, the “Albiceleste” decar is not the only one that threatens this historical record. Kylian Mbappé is also in the running. The Real Madrid player has already scored 12 goals. Thus, at the age of 27, Kylian is Messi's great rival. Established as the leader and captain of one of the strongest teams at the tournament, France, the former PSG and Monaco player has set his sights firmly on breaking the German's record.
The best scorers in the history of the World Championships:
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Miroslav Klose – 16 goals in 24 games
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Ronaldo Nazário – 15 goals in 19 games
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Gerd Müller – 14 goals in 13 games
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Just Fontaine – 13 goals in 6 games
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Leo Messi – 13 goals in 26 matches
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Kylian Mbappé – 12 goals in 14 games
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Pelé – 12 goals in 14 matches
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Jürgen Klinsmann – 11 goals in 17 games
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Sándor Kocsis – 11 goals in 5 matches
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Gabriel Batistuta – 10 goals in 12 matches
Youth comes from behind: Lamine Yamal, to watch
By age, Lamine Yamal is one of the players with the most promising future. At 18, he will play in his first World Cup and lead Spain as a big star in the fight for their second world title. Thus, with a long career ahead, the “Blaugrana” player could reach the record set at 16 goals in a few years.
On another note, Yamal could also enter the select club of players with six World Cup appearances. For that, he would have to extend his career until around the age of 40, just like Cristiano Ronaldo or Messi did.
