Mario Kempes

In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is Kempes and the second or maternal family name is Chiodi.

Mario Kempes

Kempes with Valencia in 1982
Personal information
Full name	Mario Alberto Kempes Chiodi
Date of birth	(1954-07-15) 15 July 1954 (age 70)
Place of birth	Bell Ville, Argentina
Height	1.84 m (6 ft 0 in)
Position(s)	Striker, attacking midfielder
Youth career
1961–1968	Club Atlético y Biblioteca Bell
1968–1969	Talleres
1969–1970	Instituto
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
1970–1973	Instituto	13	(11)
1973–1976	Rosario Central	107	(85)
1976–1981	Valencia	142	(95)
1981–1982	River Plate	29	(15)
1982–1984	Valencia	42	(21)
1984–1986	Hércules	38	(10)
1986–1987	First Vienna	20	(7)
1987–1990	St. Pölten	96	(34)
1990–1992	Kremser SC	39	(7)
1993–1994	Pelita Jaya	18	(12)
1995	Fernández Vial	11	(5)
1996	Lushnja[1]
Total		555	(302)
International career
1973–1982	Argentina	43	(20)
Managerial career
1995–1996	Pelita Jaya
1996	Lushnja (player-manager)[1]
1997–1998	Mineros de Guayana
1999	The Strongest
2000	Blooming
2000–2001	Independiente Petrolero
2001–2002	Casarano
2002	San Fernando[2]
Medal record Men's football Representing  Argentina FIFA World Cup Winner 1978 Argentina
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Mario Alberto Kempes Chiodi (Spanish pronunciation: [ˈmaɾjo alˈβeɾto ˈkempes ˈtʃjoði], Italian: [ˈkjɔːdi]; born 15 July 1954) is an Argentine former professional footballer who played as a striker or attacking midfielder. A prolific goalscorer, he finished as La Liga's top goalscorer twice with Valencia where he amassed 116 goals in 184 league games. He is regarded as one of the greatest players of all time.^[3][4][5]

At international level, Kempes was the focal point of Argentina's 1978 World Cup win where he scored twice in the final and received the Golden Boot as top goalscorer. He also won the Golden Ball for the player of the tournament, making him one of only three players to have won all three awards at a single World Cup, along with Garrincha in 1962 and Paolo Rossi in 1982.

Kempes won South American Footballer of the Year, Onze d'Or European footballer of the Year and World Cup Golden Ball in 1978. In 2004, he was named as one of the Top 125 greatest living footballers as part of FIFA's 100th anniversary celebration.^[6] Kempes was nicknamed El Toro and El Matador.

Club career

Mario Kempes during his period in River Plate, 1981

Kempes was born in Bell Ville, Córdoba. His father, Mario Quemp, was of German heritage. His mother, Teresa Chiodi, was Italian. At the age of seven he began playing with a junior team and at fourteen he joined the Talleres reserves.

Kempes' career started at local club Instituto, where he played alongside Osvaldo Ardiles before quickly moving on to Rosario Central, where he established himself as a remarkable goalscorer, scoring 85 goals in 105 matches, prompting Valencia to sign him. At Mestalla he would go on to win the Copa del Rey, the European Cup Winners' Cup and the UEFA Super Cup as well as two consecutive Pichichis, scoring 24 and 28 goals in the 1976–77 and 1977–78 seasons. Famous as a hard-working forward, he used to strike from outside the penalty area with his surging runs towards goal and was not the traditional center-forward operating solely inside the box. Many defenders found difficulty handling his attacking style.

Before the 1978 World Cup, Kempes was the only foreign-based player on the list of coach César Luis Menotti's Argentina national team. when announcing the squad he had selected for the 1978 tournament, Menotti described him with these words: "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."

Kempes had been the top scorer in La Liga the previous two seasons and was determined to show on home soil that he could deliver against the best on the sport's greatest stage. However, he had failed to get on the score-sheet in West Germany in 1974, at the age of 19, and after the first round group stage in 1978, his name was still missing among goal scorers in the tournament.

After leaving Valencia in 1984, Kempes spent two years at Hércules in nearby Alicante before spending six years at various Austrian clubs. His play declined in his 30s and he did not compete for top scorer honours in the Austrian top flight. He rounded off his career with stints at more obscure clubs in Indonesia, Chile and Albania during the 1990s.

International career

Kempes celebrating one of his two goals at the 1978 FIFA World Cup final against Netherlands in Buenos Aires

During his club 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 in three braces: the first two in Argentina's first semi-final group stage match against Poland, another two against Peru, and the last two in the final against the Netherlands, which Argentina won 3–1. His second goal, in the 105th minute, was the game winner in extra time. However, in the same tournament, he notoriously stopped a goal with his hand in a second-round match against Poland.^[7] This resulted in a penalty kick that was promptly saved by Ubaldo Fillol.^[8] His goals in the 1978 World Cup Final were his last for Argentina at the age of just 23.

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 managing debut in Albania. His brief spell with Lushnja was groundbreaking, as he became the first foreign manager who signed a foreign player in Albanian football history. His career in Albania came to a quick end in 1997.^[1] 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 had worked as assistant coach for Uruguayan manager Héctor Núñez in Valencia and as a player-manager of Indonesian League champions Pelita Jaya.

Broadcasting career

He currently works as a football analyst and commentator in Spanish for ESPN Deportes (ESPN's Spanish-language version). With Fernando Palomo and Ciro Procuna, he provides the commentary in the Latin American version of the FIFA franchise video games starting from FIFA 13 up until FIFA 23. He also serves as a commentator on the EA Sports FC series, beginning with EA Sports FC 24.

Career statistics

Club

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition

Club	Season	League			Cup		Continental		Other		Total
		Division	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Instituto	1973	Primera División	13	11	—	—	—	—	—	—	13	11
Central	1974	Primera División	36	30	—	—	7	3	—	—	43	33
	1975	Primera División	49	38	—	—	9	5	—	—	58	43
	1976	Primera División	22	21	—	—	—	—	—	—	22	21
	Total		107	89	—	—	16	8	—	—	123	97
Valencia	1976–77	La Liga	34	24	0	0	—	—	—	—	34	24
	1977–78	La Liga	34	28	12	11	—	—	—	—	46	39
	1978–79	La Liga	30	15	10	3	6	3	—	—	46	21
	1979–80	La Liga	32	22	2	2	9	9	—	—	43	33
	1980–81	La Liga	12	9	1	0	5	2	—	—	18	11
	Total		142	95	25	16	20	14	—	—	187	125
River Plate	1981	Primera División	29	15	—	—	4	1	—	—	33	16
	1982	Primera División	0	0	—	—	—	—	—	—	0	0
	Total		29	15	—	—	4	1	—	—	33	16
Valencia	1982–83	La Liga	27	13	1	0	8	0	2	0	38	13
	1983–84	La Liga	15	8	4	3	0	0	2	0	21	11
	Total		42	21	5	3	8	0	4	0	59	24
Hércules	1984–85	La Liga	17	1	2	0	—	—	—	—	19	1
	1985–86	La Liga	21	9	2	1	—	—	—	—	23	10
	Total		38	10	4	1	—	—	—	—	42	11
First Vienna	1986–87	Austrian Bundesliga	20	7	—	—	—	—	—	—	20	7
Sankt Pölten	1987–88	Austrian First League	32	10	—	—	—	—	—	—	32	10
	1988–89	Austrian Bundesliga	29	9	—	—	—	—	—	—	29	9
	1989–90	Austrian Bundesliga	35	15	—	—	—	—	—	—	35	15
	Total		96	34	—	—	—	—	—	—	96	34
Kremser SC	1990–91	Austrian Bundesliga	21	5	—	—	—	—	—	—	21	5
	1991–92	Austrian Bundesliga	18	2	—	—	—	—	—	—	18	2
	Total		39	7	—	—	—	—	—	—	39	7
Fernández Vial	1995	Primera B	11	5	—	—	—	—	—	—	11	5
Pelita Jaya	1996	Liga Indonesia	15	10	—	—	—	—	—	—	15	10
Career total			552	304	34	20	48	23	4	0	638	347

International

Appearances and goals by national team and year^[9]

National team	Year	Apps	Goals
Argentina	1973	1	0
	1974	10	4
	1975	4	3
	1976	9	7
	1977	0	0
	1978	7	6
	1979	0	0
	1980	0	0
	1981	3	0
	1982	9	0
Total		43	20

Scores and results list Argentina's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Kempes goal.

List of international goals scored by Mario Kempes

No.	Date	Venue	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition
1	22 April 1974	José Amalfitani Stadium, Buenos Aires, Argentina	Romania	2–1	2–1	Friendly
2	18 May 1974	Parc des Princes, Paris, France	France	1–0	1–0	Friendly
3	22 May 1974	Wembley Stadium, London, England	England	1–2	2–2	Friendly
4				2–2
5	3 August 1975	Estadio Olímpico, Caracas, Venezuela	Venezuela	2–1	5–1	1975 Copa América
6	10 August 1975	Estadio Gigante de Arroyito, Rosario, Argentina	Venezuela	5–0	11–0	1975 Copa América
7				10–0
8	27 February 1976	Estadio Monumental Antonio Vespucio Liberti, Buenos Aires, Argentina	Brazil	2–1	2–1	Roca Cup 1976
9	20 March 1976	Central Stadium, Kyiv, Ukraine	Soviet Union	1–0	1–0	Friendly
10	14 June 1978	Estadio Gigante de Arroyito, Rosario, Argentina	Poland	1–0	2–0	1978 FIFA World Cup
11				2–0
12	21 June 1978	Estadio Gigante de Arroyito, Rosario, Argentina	Peru	1–0	6–0	1978 FIFA World Cup
13				3–0
14	25 June 1978	Estadio Monumental Antonio Vespucio Liberti, Buenos Aires, Argentina	Netherlands	1–0	3–1	1978 FIFA World Cup
15				2–1

Honours

Rosario Central

• Primera División runner-up: 1974 Metropolitano, 1976 Argentine Primera Division Nacional

Valencia

Héroes del Valencia 79

• Copa del Rey: 1978–79
• UEFA Cup Winners' Cup: 1979–80
• UEFA Super Cup: 1980

River Plate

• Primera División: 1981 Nacional

Pelita Jaya

• Galatama: 1993–94 ^[10]

Argentina

• FIFA World Cup: 1978

Individual

• Argentine Primera División top scorers: 1974 Nacional, 1976 Metropolitan
• Pichichi Trophy: 1977, 1978
• FIFA World Cup Golden Boot: 1978
• FIFA World Cup Golden Ball: 1978^[11]
• FIFA World Cup All-Star Team: 1978
• Ballon d'Or: 1978 - Le nouveau palmarès (the new winners)^[12]
• Onze d'Or: 1978
• Olimpia de Plata: 1978
• South American Footballer of the Year: 1978
• UEFA Cup Winners' Cup top scorers: 1979–80
• FIFA 100: 2004
• South American Player of the Century: Ranking Nº 23: 2006^[13]
• Golden Foot: 2007, as football legend^[14]
• Estadio Mario Alberto Kempes: 2010, The stadium in Córdoba, Argentina was named after him.
• AFA Team of All Time (published 2015)^[15]
• IFFHS Argentina All Times Dream Team (Team B): 2021^[16]

References

1. "One's Kompany: just where have all the player-managers gone?". FourFourTwo. 22 May 2019. Retrieved 1 November 2023. Mario Kempes - Pelita Jaya and KS Lushnja (1996) | In his early forties, Kempes chanced his arm as player-manager of Albanian side KS Lushnja. His time in the Balkans was short-lived before he endured a similar fate in Indonesia with Pelita Jaya
2. "Kempes manager profile". BDFutbol.
3. "All-time Top 20: No. 12 Mario Kempes". ESPN.com. 30 May 2014. Retrieved 18 May 2024.
4. Warrington, Mark WhiteContributions from Declan; Haugstad, Thore; Yokhin, Michael; Stafford-Bloor, Seb; Spurling, Jon; Murray, Andrew; Hess, Alex; Alves, Marcus; published, Alex Reid (5 September 2023). "Ranked! The 100 best football players of all time". fourfourtwo.com. Retrieved 18 May 2024.
5. "#TFHB100 Players of All-Time: 70-61". 8 February 2017. Retrieved 18 May 2024.
6. "Pele's list of the greatest". BBC Sport. 4 March 2004. Retrieved 15 June 2013.
7. Argentina vs Poland – World Cup 1978 – full match – part 4/8 @YouTube
8. FIFA.com 1978 World Cup Match Report – Argentina – Poland
9. Mario Kempes at National-Football-Teams.com
10. "Indonesia – List of (Semi-)Professional Champions". Retrieved 18 October 2014.
11. "FIFA World Cup Golden Ball Awards". RSSSF. Archived from the original on 12 January 2016. Retrieved 9 February 2015.
12. Crépin, Timothé (2 December 2015). "Pelé devait être le recordman" (in French). France Football.
13. South American – Player of the Century Retrieved on 3 January 2009
14. "Golden Foot Award". Goldenfoot.com. Archived from the original on 10 February 2015. Retrieved 9 February 2015.
15. "La Selección de Todos los Tiempos" [The Team of All Time] (in Spanish). Argentine Football Association. 4 January 2016. Archived from the original on 14 August 2018. Retrieved 29 January 2018.
16. "IFFHS ALL TIME ARGENTINA MEN'S DREAM TEAM". 26 August 2021.

"Research: Soccer Net USA". Soccer Net USA. Archived from the original on 16 November 2006. Retrieved 25 November 2006.

External links

• Mario Kempes – FIFA competition record (archived)
• Mario Kempes at National-Football-Teams.com
• Mario Kempes at ESPN FC
• Mario Kempes at FootballFacts.ru (archive) (in Russian)
• Mario Kempes at L'Équipe Football (in French)
• Observer Sport biography
• Futbol Factory profile at the Wayback Machine (archived 20 October 2007) (in Spanish)
• Mario Kempes at BDFutbol