Fiorentina legend Gabriel Omar Batistuta sent a social media message to Leo Messi after the PSG superstar equalled his record for goals at the World Cup against the Netherlands.
Messi bagged his tenth goal for Argentina at the World Cup, equalling the record of the former Fiorentina and Roma striker.
Both have ten goals in the competition, but Batistuta scored them in 12 games, while Messi has played 24 World Cup matches in his career.
“Congratulations, dear Leao,” Batistuta wrote on Instagram.
“I’ve held the record during the last 20 years, now it’s an honour to share it with you and I hope with all my heart that you can overtake it in the next match.”
Messi converted a penalty kick in a victory over the Netherlands in the World Cup quarter-finals on Friday night.
However, the South Americans needed penalties to earn a spot among the four best countries in the World.
They will face Russia 2018 runners-up Croatia in the semi-finals next week.
Batistuta scored 183 goals in 318 appearances in Serie A during his career. He played for Fiorentina, Roma and Inter, winning the title in 2000-01 with the Giallorossi coached by Fabio Capello.