| Mario Kempes | ||
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| Personal information | ||
|---|---|---|
| Full name | Mario Alberto Kempes | |
| Date of birth | July 15, 1954 | |
| Place of birth | Bell Ville, Argentina | |
| Height | 1.82 m (5 ft 111⁄2 in) | |
| Playing position | Striker | |
| Youth career | ||
| 1969 | Instituto | |
| Senior career1 | ||
| Years | Club | App (Gls)* |
| 1970-1973 1974-1976 1977-1981 1981-1982 1982-1984 1984-1986 1986-1987 1987-1990 1990-1992 1995 1996 | Instituto de Córdoba Rosario Central Valencia River Plate Valencia Hércules Vienna FC VSE Sankt Pölten Kremser SC Fernandez Vial Pelita Jaya | 13 (11) 107 (86) 143 (95) 29 (15) 42 (21) 38 (10) 20 (7) 96 (34) 39 (7) 11 (5) ? (?) |
| National team2 | ||
| 1973-1982 | Argentina | 43 (20) |
| Teams managed | ||
| 1996 1996 1997-1998 1999 2000 2000-2001 | Pelita Jaya KS Lushnja Mineros de Guayana The Strongest Blooming Independiente Petrolero | |
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Mario Alberto Kempes (born July 15, 1954 in Bell Ville, Córdoba) is an Argentine former football striker. His father, Mario, who was also a football player, inspired him to play from a young age. At the age of 7 years, he began playing with a junior team and at 14 he joined la cuarta de Talleres. He is most famous for playing for Valencia and being the focal point of Argentina's 1978 World Cup win.
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Football career
Kempes was nicknamed El Matador (The Bullfighter) from his time with Valencia, he won two consecutive Pichichis, scoring 24 and 28 goals in 1976-77 and 1977-78. His career where started at a local club called Instituto Atlético Central Córdoba before quickly moving on to Rosario Central where he gained 85 goals in just 105 matches and established himself as a notorious goalscorer. Famous as a hard-working forward, he used to strike from outside the penalty areadefenders found difficulties handling his attacking style. with his surging runs goalwards and was not the traditional center-forward operating solely inside the box. Many
Before the 1978 World Cup, Kempes was the only foreign based player on the list of coach César Luis Menotti's national team in Argentina, he was at the time playing for Spanish giants Valencia while the other squad members all played in Argentina. The coach described him when announcing the squad he had selected for the 1978 tournament, "He's strong, he's got skill, he creates spaces and he shoots hard. He's a player who can make a difference, and he can play in a centre-forward position".
The skinny forward had been topscorer in La Liga in each of the past two seasons and was determined to show on home soil that he could deliver against the best on the sport's greatest stage as well. However, in 1974, at 20 years of age, he failed to get on the score-sheet in West Germany and after the first round group stage in 1978, his name was still missing among goalscorers in the tournament. During his playing career he won 43 caps for Argentina and scored 20 times. He represented his country in three World Cups in 1974, 1978 and 1982, winning the competition in 1978. He was the leading goalscorer in the 1978 tournament, scoring six goals, including two in the final itself. He has also scored some very important goals for Argentina in his career.
In 1978 he was named South American Football Player of the Year ("El Mundo", Caracas, Venezuela). He was named by Pelé as one of the top 125 greatest living footballers in March 2004.
Managerial career
Kempes made his full time coaching debut in Albania. His brief spell with KS Lushnja was groundbreaking, as he became the first foreign coach who signed a foreign player for the first time in Albanian soccer history. His career in Albania came to a quick end in 1997. The following year, he landed a job with Venezuelan side Mineros de Guayana. In 1999 Kempes moved to Bolivia and managed The Strongest, before taking charge of Blooming in 2000. Previously, he worked as assistant coach for Uruguayan manager Héctor Núñez in Valencia, and as a player-manager of Indonesian Leaguechampions Pelita Jaya before hunging up his boots for the last time at the age of 41 in 1996.
Journalist career
He currently works as a football analyst for ESPN Deportes. He rose some controversy after commenting on the 2008 semifinal Champions League game between Manchester United and Barcelona, in which he empathetically contextualised 'simulation' (i.e. attempting to trick officials), but also prudently reminded of a certain logic of competitive football, in which those who piously follow the formal rules of FIFA oftentimes stand lower chances of winning than those who do not.
Honours
Club
Valencia
- Copa del Rey: 1979
- UEFA Cup Winners' Cup: 1980
- UEFA Super Cup: 1980
River Plate
- Nacional: 1981
Country
[edit] Individual
- 1974 Leading Scorer of Nacional
- 1976 Leading scorer of Metropolitano
- 1977 Pichichi Trophy
- 1978 Pichichi Trophy
- 1978 World Cup Golden Boot
- 1978 World Cup Golden Ball
- 1978 Olimpia de Plata
- 1978 South American Footballer of the Year
- 2004 FIFA 100
- 2006 South American Player of the Century: Ranking Nº 23
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