Next on the list is Brazilian great Ronaldo, with 15 goals, one ahead of Gerd Muller and current France star Kylian Mbappe.

"To enjoy this with my family, with my teammates, the ones who are always there, is a really beautiful moment," Inter Miami star Messi said. "I'm happy."

He added: "It's an honour to be there, given what it means to stand alongside Klose or the others.

"Ronaldo is there too but I don't think it means anything -- Mbappe as well, who scored two today (in a 3-1 win against Senegal).

"In the end, it's just a statistic and nothing more."

Messi's razor-sharp eye for goal augurs well for Argentina's hopes of becoming the first team since Brazil in 1962 to win back-to-back World Cup titles.