Missouri: Lionel Messi said "numbers don't mean anything" after surpassing Brazil's Ronaldo and equalling German's Miroslav Klose (16 goals) on the all-time FIFA World Cup goal-scoring list, reported Argentinian news outlet La Nacion. Notably, Messi opened his World Cup 2026 campaign with a magnificent Player of the Match-winning hat-trick, leading Argentina to a 3-0 win over Algeria on Tuesday (local time).
Despite making history again, Messi stayed humble, saying he feels honoured but does not place much importance on records, describing them as "just one statistic" and noting that even great players like Ronaldo are not always at the top of such lists.
"It's an honour. Mbappe and Ronaldo are there, but those numbers don't mean anything. They're just statistics. Ronaldo is one of the greatest and he's not in first place, so it's just one statistic," he said as quoted by Argentine newspaper La Nacion.
Also Read: From Appearances to Goals: All FIFA World Cup Records Messi Owns and Chases