16 goals make him the World Cup top scorer! Messi humbly responds: It's just a statistic; Ronaldo's greatness remains even without being first.

In a key Group J match of the World Cup on June 17, Beijing defending champions Argentina defeated North African powerhouse Algeria 3-0 In this game, Argentine captain Messi scored his first hat trick in a World Cup.

This brought his total World Cup goals to 16, surpassing Mbappé's 14 and Ronaldo's 15, tying him with Klose as the all-time top scorer in World fact.

After the game, the modest Messi spoke about this achievement, calmly saying it's just a statistic.

Messi stated: "Obviously it's an honor to be in that position because of what it represents. To be tied with Klose and Ronaldo also there, but I don't think it means much, right? Besides, Mbappé scored two in the first round."

"In the end, it's just a statistic, and obviously competing with them is a source of pride, but it doesn't mean much to me. In my view, Ronaldo is one of the greatest players, and he isn't first now, so it's just a statistic." "

It's noteworthy that just a few days ago, Klose told the that he predicted Messi break his record of 16 goals in this World Cup: "Messi can definitely do it. I am big fan of Messi, always have been; Messi is a genius."

With just one match, Messi has temporarily shared title with Klose. Considering Argentina still has more games ahead, it might only be a matter of time before Messi holds the record alone.