Mourinho Credits ‘Football Gods’ for Messi’s 2022 World Cup Win as Argentine Breaks Klose’s All-Time Scoring Record

José Mourinho, who recently returned to club management as Real Madrid’s head coach, has spoken candidly about what he believes drove Lionel Messi’s 2022 World Cup victory in Qatar — suggesting forces beyond football were at work.

Appearing on Adebayo Akinfenwa’s Beast Mode On podcast, the veteran Portuguese manager reflected on what the tournament meant for Messi’s legacy. “The Messi World Cup [in 2022]… believe in football gods, because the guy couldn’t have the career [he’s had] without winning it,” Mourinho said. “So you have that feeling that there is something superior that made a guy win a World Cup.”

Messi captained Argentina to glory in Qatar, finishing the tournament with seven goals and claiming the Golden Ball award as the best player of the competition. The title represented the one major honour that had been absent from an otherwise extraordinary career for the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner.

Now 39 years old, Messi has carried that momentum into the 2026 FIFA World Cup, and his performances have already transcended the records he helped set four years ago. In Argentina’s opening group stage match against Algeria, Messi scored a hat-trick to help his side to a 3-0 victory — drawing level with German legend Miroslav Klose‘s long-standing record of 16 World Cup goals.

Messi did not stop there. In Argentina’s second group game against Austria, he added a brace, surpassing Klose’s record to become the all-time top scorer in World Cup history. Klose, who played for Germany across four tournaments between 2002 and 2014, had held the record for over a decade.

The statistical milestone cements Messi’s status as one of the sport’s most decorated performers across both club and international football. His 2022 triumph in Qatar ended years of near-misses at the World Cup, including a runner-up finish at the 2014 edition in Brazil, where he also claimed the Golden Ball despite Argentina’s defeat to Germany in the final.

Mourinho’s comments arrive as the 2026 World Cup enters a critical phase, with Argentina among the favourites to retain the trophy. Should Messi lead his side to a second consecutive title, it would mark the first time Argentina have won back-to-back World Cups and further extend his record goal tally at the tournament.

For Mourinho, whose focus now turns to building a competitive Real Madrid squad ahead of the 2026-27 season, the admiration for Messi appears unambiguous — a rare and telling acknowledgement from one of football’s most competitive figures.