Mario Kempes
Encyclopedia
Mario Alberto Kempes Chiodi (born 15 July 1954 in Bell Ville
, Córdoba) is a retired Argentine
footballer. His father, Mario, also a footballer, inspired him to play from a young age. At the age of 7, he began playing with a junior team and at 14, he joined La Cuarta de Talleres. He is most notable for playing for Valencia
and being the focal point of Argentina's 1978 World Cup
win.
Kempes was nicknamed El toro and El Matador. During his first stint with Valencia, he won two consecutive Pichichis, scoring 24 and 28 goals in 1976–77 and 1977–78. His career started at local club Instituto
before quickly moving on to Rosario Central
, where he scored 85 goals in 105 matches and established himself as a notorious goalscorer, which prompted a move to Valencia, where he would go on to win the Copa del Rey
, the European Cup Winners' Cup and the UEFA Super Cup. Famous as a hard-working forward, he used to strike from outside the penalty area
with his surging runs goalwards and was not the traditional center-forward operating solely inside the box. Many defenders
found difficulties 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 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".
Kempes had been the top scorer 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 the age of 20, 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 goal scorers in the tournament
.
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.
. His brief spell with 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 Uruguay
an manager Héctor Núñez in Valencia
, and as a player-manager of Indonesian League
champions Pelita Jaya
. He announced his retirement from football management at the age of 41 in 1996.
(ESPN
's Spanish version).
|1973
||Instituto
||Primera División
||13||11||||||||||||||||
|-
|1974
||rowspan="3"|Central
||rowspan="3"|Primera División
||36||29||||||||||||||||
|-
|1975
||49||35||||||||||||||||
|-
|1976
||22||21||||||||||||||||
|-
|1976–77||rowspan="5"|Valencia
||rowspan="5"|La Liga
||34||24||||||||||||||||
|-
|1977–78||34||28||||||||||||||||
|-
|1978–79||30||12||||||||||||||||
|-
|1979–80||32||22||||||||||||||||
|-
|1980–81||12||9||||||||||||||||
|-
|1981
||rowspan="2"|River Plate
||rowspan="2"|Primera División
||29||15||||||||||||||||
|-
|1982
||0||0||||||||||||||||
|-
|1982–83||rowspan="2"|Valencia
||rowspan="2"|La Liga
||27||13||||||||||||||||
|-
|1983–84||15||8||||||||||||||||
|-
|1984–85||rowspan="2"|Hércules
||rowspan="2"|La Liga
||17||1||2||0||||||||||||
|-
|1985–86||21||9||2||1||||||||||||
|-
|1986–87||First Vienna
||Bundesliga||20||7||||||||||||||||
|-
|1987–88||rowspan="3"|Sankt Pölten||First League
||32||10||||||||||||||||
|-
|1988–89||rowspan="2"|Bundesliga||29||9||||||||||||||||
|-
|1989–90||35||15||||||||||||||||
|-
|1990–91||rowspan="2"|Kremser
||rowspan="2"|Bundesliga||21||5||||||||||||||||
|-
|1991–92||18||2||||||||||||||||
|-
|1995||Fernández Vial
||Primera B
||11||5||||||||||||||||
|-
|1995–96||Pelita Jaya
||Liga Indonesia
||||||||||||||||||||
149||111||||||||||||||||
222||126||||||||||||||||
155||48||||||||||||||||
11||5||||||||||||||||
||||||||||||||||||
537||290||||||||||||||||
|-
|1973||||
|-
|1974||10||4
|-
|1975||5||3
|-
|1976||9||7
|-
|1977||0||0
|-
|1978||7||6
|-
|1979||0||0
|-
|1980||0||0
|-
|1981||3||0
|-
|1982||9||0
|-
!Total||||
|}
River Plate
Argentina
Individual
Bell Ville
Bell Ville is a city in center-south of the province of Córdoba, Argentina, located 200 km southeast from the capital Córdoba City, on the intersection of National Route 9 and Provincial Route 3 with the Córdoba–Rosario–Buenos Aires railroad....
, Córdoba) is a retired Argentine
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
footballer. His father, Mario, also a footballer, inspired him to play from a young age. At the age of 7, he began playing with a junior team and at 14, he joined La Cuarta de Talleres. He is most notable for playing for Valencia
Valencia CF
Valencia Club de Fútbol is a Spanish football club based in Valencia, Spain. They play in La Liga and are one of the most successful and biggest clubs in Spanish Football and European Football. Valencia have won six La Liga titles, seven Copa del Rey trophies, two Fairs Cups which was the...
and being the focal point of Argentina's 1978 World Cup
1978 FIFA World Cup
The 1978 FIFA World Cup, the 11th staging of the FIFA World Cup, was held in Argentina between 1 June and 25 June. The 1978 World Cup was won by Argentina who beat the Netherlands 3–1 after extra time in the final. This win was the first World Cup title for Argentina, who became the fifth...
win.
Club career
Instituto Atlético Central Córdoba
Instituto Atlético Central Córdoba is an Argentine sports club from Córdoba, which professional football team currently plays in the Primera B Nacional, the second division of the Argentine football league system.Famous players who have played at Instituto include Osvaldo Ardiles, Mario Alberto...
before quickly moving on to Rosario Central
Rosario Central
Club Atlético Rosario Central is a sports club based in Rosario, Argentina. Its football team currently plays in the Primera B Nacional, the second tier of the Argentine football league system, after being relegated in the 2009-10 season....
, where he scored 85 goals in 105 matches and established himself as a notorious goalscorer, which prompted a move to Valencia, where he would go on to win the Copa del Rey
Copa del Rey
The Copa del Rey is an annual football cup competition for Spanish football teams. Its full name is Campeonato de España – Copa de Su Majestad el Rey de Fútbol ....
, the European Cup Winners' Cup and the UEFA Super Cup. Famous as a hard-working forward, he used to strike from outside the penalty area
Penalty area
The penalty area , is an area of an association football pitch. It is rectangular and extends to each side of the goal and in front of it. Within the penalty area is the penalty spot , which is from the goal line, directly in-line with the centre of the goal...
with his surging runs goalwards and was not the traditional center-forward operating solely inside the box. Many defenders
Defender (association football)
Within the sport of association football, a defender is an outfield player whose primary role is to prevent the opposition from attacking....
found difficulties handling his attacking style.
Before the 1978 World Cup
1978 FIFA World Cup
The 1978 FIFA World Cup, the 11th staging of the FIFA World Cup, was held in Argentina between 1 June and 25 June. The 1978 World Cup was won by Argentina who beat the Netherlands 3–1 after extra time in the final. This win was the first World Cup title for Argentina, who became the fifth...
, Kempes was the only foreign based player on the list of coach César Luis Menotti
César Luis Menotti
César Luis Menotti, known as El Flaco is an Argentine football coach and former player, who as coach, won the 1978 FIFA World Cup for Argentina.-Playing career:...
's national team in Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
, he was at the time playing for Spanish
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
giants Valencia
Valencia CF
Valencia Club de Fútbol is a Spanish football club based in Valencia, Spain. They play in La Liga and are one of the most successful and biggest clubs in Spanish Football and European Football. Valencia have won six La Liga titles, seven Copa del Rey trophies, two Fairs Cups which was the...
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".
Kempes had been the top scorer in La Liga
La Liga
The Primera División of the Liga Nacional de Fútbol Profesional , commonly known as La Liga or, for sponsorship reasons, Liga BBVA since 2008, is the top professional association football division of the Spanish football league system...
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 the age of 20, he failed to get on the score-sheet in West Germany
West Germany
West Germany is the common English, but not official, name for the Federal Republic of Germany or FRG in the period between its creation in May 1949 to German reunification on 3 October 1990....
and after the first round group stage in 1978, his name was still missing among goal scorers in the tournament
Tournament
A tournament is a competition involving a relatively large number of competitors, all participating in a sport or game. More specifically, the term may be used in either of two overlapping senses:...
.
International career
During his club career he won 43 caps for ArgentinaArgentina national football team
The Argentina national football team represents Argentina in association football and is controlled by the Argentine Football Association , the governing body for football in Argentina. Argentina's home stadium is Estadio Monumental Antonio Vespucio Liberti and their head coach is Alejandro...
and scored 20 times. He represented his country in three World Cups
FIFA World Cup
The FIFA World Cup, often simply the World Cup, is an international association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of Fédération Internationale de Football Association , the sport's global governing body...
in 1974
1974 FIFA World Cup
The 1974 FIFA World Cup, the tenth staging of the World Cup, was held in West Germany from 13 June to 7 July. The tournament marked the first time that the current trophy, the FIFA World Cup Trophy, created by the Italian sculptor Silvio Gazzaniga, was awarded...
, 1978
1978 FIFA World Cup
The 1978 FIFA World Cup, the 11th staging of the FIFA World Cup, was held in Argentina between 1 June and 25 June. The 1978 World Cup was won by Argentina who beat the Netherlands 3–1 after extra time in the final. This win was the first World Cup title for Argentina, who became the fifth...
and 1982
1982 FIFA World Cup
The 1982 FIFA World Cup, the 12th FIFA World Cup, was held in Spain from 13 June to 11 July. The tournament was won by Italy, after defeating West Germany 3–1 in the final.-Host selection:...
, 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
Pelé
However, Pelé has always maintained that those are mistakes, that he was actually named Edson and that he was born on 23 October 1940.), best known by his nickname Pelé , is a retired Brazilian footballer. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest football players of all time...
as one of the top 125 greatest living footballers
FIFA 100
The FIFA 100 is a list of the world-renowned Brazilian striker Pelé's choice of the "greatest living footballers". Unveiled on 4 March 2004 at a gala ceremony in London, the FIFA 100 marked part of the celebrations of the 100th anniversary of the foundation of the Fédération Internationale de...
in March 2004.
Managerial career
Kempes made his full time coaching debut in AlbaniaAlbania
Albania , officially known as the Republic of Albania , is a country in Southeastern Europe, in the Balkans region. It is bordered by Montenegro to the northwest, Kosovo to the northeast, the Republic of Macedonia to the east and Greece to the south and southeast. It has a coast on the Adriatic Sea...
. His brief spell with Lushnja
KS Lushnja
Klubi Sportiv Lushnja is an Albanian football club based in Lushnjë. Their home ground is "Abdurrahman Roza Haxhiu Stadium" , named for Abdurrahman Roza Haxhiu....
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
Atlético Club Mineros de Guayana
The Asociación Civil Mineros de Guayana, usually known as Mineros de Guayana or simply Mineros, is a Venezuelan football club based in Puerto Ordaz.-History:...
. In 1999, Kempes moved to Bolivia and managed The Strongest
The Strongest
The Strongest is a Bolivian football club based in La Paz founded on April 8, 1908. Their team colours are yellow and black. Although they have a home ground, the Rafael Mendoza Castellón , they play most of their games at the Estadio Hernando Siles, Bolivia's national ground...
, before taking charge of Blooming
Club Blooming
Club Social, Cultural y Deportivo Blooming is a Bolivian football club from Santa Cruz de la Sierra, formed on May 1, 1946. Its home colours are sky blue, white and navy. They play at the Estadio Ramón Tahuichi Aguilera . Its main rival is Oriente Petrolero, also from Santa Cruz...
in 2000. Previously, he worked as assistant coach for Uruguay
Uruguay
Uruguay ,officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay,sometimes the Eastern Republic of Uruguay; ) is a country in the southeastern part of South America. It is home to some 3.5 million people, of whom 1.8 million live in the capital Montevideo and its metropolitan area...
an manager Héctor Núñez in Valencia
Valencia CF
Valencia Club de Fútbol is a Spanish football club based in Valencia, Spain. They play in La Liga and are one of the most successful and biggest clubs in Spanish Football and European Football. Valencia have won six La Liga titles, seven Copa del Rey trophies, two Fairs Cups which was the...
, and as a player-manager of Indonesian League
Liga Indonesia
The Indonesian football league system is a series of league system for association football clubs in Indonesia. Since 1994, Liga Indonesia is the league competition featuring association football clubs, as a result of two existing top flight football leagues merger: Perserikatan and Galatama...
champions Pelita Jaya
Pelita Jaya
Pelita Jaya FC is an Indonesian football team located in Karawang, Indonesia founded in 1986. It was one of the most successful clubs in the Galatama era. The club's finance is mostly supported by The Bakrie Group....
. He announced his retirement from football management at the age of 41 in 1996.
Commentary career
He currently works as a football analyst and commentator in Spanish for ESPN DeportesESPN Deportes
ESPN Deportes is a cable television and radio network dedicated to broadcasting sports-related programming 24 hours a day to the Spanish-speaking community in the United States...
(ESPN
ESPN
Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....
's Spanish version).
Career statistics
|-|1973
Primera División Argentina 1973
-Metropolitano Championship:-Group A:-Group B:-Final Tournament:...
||Instituto
Instituto Atlético Central Córdoba
Instituto Atlético Central Córdoba is an Argentine sports club from Córdoba, which professional football team currently plays in the Primera B Nacional, the second division of the Argentine football league system.Famous players who have played at Instituto include Osvaldo Ardiles, Mario Alberto...
||Primera División
Primera División Argentina
The Primera División is a professional football league in Argentina. It is the country's premier football division and is at the top of the Argentine football league system. Contested by twenty clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the Primera B Nacional. The season runs...
||13||11||||||||||||||||
|-
|1974
Primera División Argentina 1974
-Group A:-Group B:2nd place playoff*Boca Juniors 2-0 Ferro Carril Oeste-Final Tournament:-Group A:-Group B:-Group C:-Group D:-Final Tournament:...
||rowspan="3"|Central
Rosario Central
Club Atlético Rosario Central is a sports club based in Rosario, Argentina. Its football team currently plays in the Primera B Nacional, the second tier of the Argentine football league system, after being relegated in the 2009-10 season....
||rowspan="3"|Primera División
Primera División Argentina
The Primera División is a professional football league in Argentina. It is the country's premier football division and is at the top of the Argentine football league system. Contested by twenty clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the Primera B Nacional. The season runs...
||36||29||||||||||||||||
|-
|1975
Primera División Argentina 1975
-Metropolitano Championship:-Group A:-Group B:-Group C:-Group D:-Final Tournament:...
||49||35||||||||||||||||
|-
|1976
Primera División Argentina 1976
-Group A:-Group B:-Championship Group:-Relegation Group:-Group A:1st place Playoff*Boca Juniors 2-1 Quilmes-Group B:-Group C:-Group D:1st place Playoff*Talleres de Córdoba 3-1 Newell's Old Boys-Quarterfinals:*Boca Juniors 2-1 Banfield...
||22||21||||||||||||||||
|-
|1976–77||rowspan="5"|Valencia
Valencia CF
Valencia Club de Fútbol is a Spanish football club based in Valencia, Spain. They play in La Liga and are one of the most successful and biggest clubs in Spanish Football and European Football. Valencia have won six La Liga titles, seven Copa del Rey trophies, two Fairs Cups which was the...
||rowspan="5"|La Liga
La Liga
The Primera División of the Liga Nacional de Fútbol Profesional , commonly known as La Liga or, for sponsorship reasons, Liga BBVA since 2008, is the top professional association football division of the Spanish football league system...
||34||24||||||||||||||||
|-
|1977–78||34||28||||||||||||||||
|-
|1978–79||30||12||||||||||||||||
|-
|1979–80||32||22||||||||||||||||
|-
|1980–81||12||9||||||||||||||||
|-
|1981
Primera División Argentina 1981
-Metropolitano Championship:-Group A:-Group B:-Group C:-Group D:-Quarterfinals:-Semifinals:River Plate advanced on away goals rule-Final:...
||rowspan="2"|River Plate
Club Atlético River Plate
Club Atlético River Plate is an Argentine sports club based in the Nuñez neighborhood of Buenos Aires. It is best known for its professional football team, which currently competes in Nacional B, the second tier of Argentine football....
||rowspan="2"|Primera División
Primera División Argentina
The Primera División is a professional football league in Argentina. It is the country's premier football division and is at the top of the Argentine football league system. Contested by twenty clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the Primera B Nacional. The season runs...
||29||15||||||||||||||||
|-
|1982
Primera División Argentina 1982
-Group A:-Group B:-Group C:-Group D:-Quarterfinals:-Semifinals:-Final:-Metropolitano Championship:...
||0||0||||||||||||||||
|-
|1982–83||rowspan="2"|Valencia
Valencia CF
Valencia Club de Fútbol is a Spanish football club based in Valencia, Spain. They play in La Liga and are one of the most successful and biggest clubs in Spanish Football and European Football. Valencia have won six La Liga titles, seven Copa del Rey trophies, two Fairs Cups which was the...
||rowspan="2"|La Liga
La Liga
The Primera División of the Liga Nacional de Fútbol Profesional , commonly known as La Liga or, for sponsorship reasons, Liga BBVA since 2008, is the top professional association football division of the Spanish football league system...
||27||13||||||||||||||||
|-
|1983–84||15||8||||||||||||||||
|-
|1984–85||rowspan="2"|Hércules
Hércules CF
Hércules Club de Fútbol, S.A.D. is a Spanish football team based in Alicante, in the autonomous community of Valencia. Founded in 1922, it currently plays in the Spanish second division, and holds home games at the Estadio José Rico Pérez, which seats 30,000 spectators.-History:After first...
||rowspan="2"|La Liga
La Liga
The Primera División of the Liga Nacional de Fútbol Profesional , commonly known as La Liga or, for sponsorship reasons, Liga BBVA since 2008, is the top professional association football division of the Spanish football league system...
||17||1||2||0||||||||||||
|-
|1985–86||21||9||2||1||||||||||||
|-
|1986–87||First Vienna
First Vienna FC
First Vienna FC is an Austrian association football club based in the Döbling district of Vienna. Established on 22 August 1894, it is the country's oldest team and has played a notable role in the history of the game there...
||Bundesliga||20||7||||||||||||||||
|-
|1987–88||rowspan="3"|Sankt Pölten||First League
Austrian Football First League
The Austrian Football First League is the second highest professional division in Austrian football. It contains 10 teams and is run in the same fashion as the Austrian Bundesliga...
||32||10||||||||||||||||
|-
|1988–89||rowspan="2"|Bundesliga||29||9||||||||||||||||
|-
|1989–90||35||15||||||||||||||||
|-
|1990–91||rowspan="2"|Kremser
Kremser SC
Kremser SC is an Austrian association football club located in Krems, Austria. It currently plays in Austrian 2. Landesliga. The team's colors are white and black....
||rowspan="2"|Bundesliga||21||5||||||||||||||||
|-
|1991–92||18||2||||||||||||||||
|-
|1995||Fernández Vial
Club Deportivo Ferroviario Almirante Arturo Fernández Vial
Club Deportivo Ferroviario Almirante Arturo Fernández Vial is a football club in Chile, from the Concepción area, in the Bio-Bio Region. The team was founded on June 3, 1903, and it currently plays in the third tier of the Chilean professional leagues....
||Primera B
Primera B (Chile)
Primera División B del Fútbol Profesional Chileno is the second level of Chilean football in the Chilean football league system, and is organized by the Asociación Nacional de Fútbol Profesional....
||11||5||||||||||||||||
|-
|1995–96||Pelita Jaya
Pelita Jaya
Pelita Jaya FC is an Indonesian football team located in Karawang, Indonesia founded in 1986. It was one of the most successful clubs in the Galatama era. The club's finance is mostly supported by The Bakrie Group....
||Liga Indonesia
Liga Indonesia
The Indonesian football league system is a series of league system for association football clubs in Indonesia. Since 1994, Liga Indonesia is the league competition featuring association football clubs, as a result of two existing top flight football leagues merger: Perserikatan and Galatama...
||||||||||||||||||||
149||111||||||||||||||||
222||126||||||||||||||||
155||48||||||||||||||||
11||5||||||||||||||||
||||||||||||||||||
537||290||||||||||||||||
|-
|1973||||
|-
|1974||10||4
|-
|1975||5||3
|-
|1976||9||7
|-
|1977||0||0
|-
|1978||7||6
|-
|1979||0||0
|-
|1980||0||0
|-
|1981||3||0
|-
|1982||9||0
|-
!Total||||
|}
Honours
ValenciaValencia CF
Valencia Club de Fútbol is a Spanish football club based in Valencia, Spain. They play in La Liga and are one of the most successful and biggest clubs in Spanish Football and European Football. Valencia have won six La Liga titles, seven Copa del Rey trophies, two Fairs Cups which was the...
- Copa del ReyCopa del ReyThe Copa del Rey is an annual football cup competition for Spanish football teams. Its full name is Campeonato de España – Copa de Su Majestad el Rey de Fútbol ....
: 1
-
- 1979
- UEFA Cup Winners' CupUEFA Cup Winners' CupThe UEFA Cup Winners' Cup was a football club competition contested annually by the most recent winners of all European domestic cup competitions. The cup is one of the many inter-European club competitions that have been organised by UEFA. The first competition was held in the 1960–61 season—but...
: 1
- UEFA Cup Winners' Cup
- 1980
- UEFA Super Cup: 1
- 1980
- 1979
River Plate
Club Atlético River Plate
Club Atlético River Plate is an Argentine sports club based in the Nuñez neighborhood of Buenos Aires. It is best known for its professional football team, which currently competes in Nacional B, the second tier of Argentine football....
- NacionalNacional championshipThe Nacional championship was an Argentine football tournament that existed between 1967 and 1985. The Nacional formed one half of the Argentine 1st division taking place in the second half of the year, the Metropolitano took place in the first half of the year. This arrangement lasted until 1982...
: 1
-
- 1981
Argentina
Argentina national football team
The Argentina national football team represents Argentina in association football and is controlled by the Argentine Football Association , the governing body for football in Argentina. Argentina's home stadium is Estadio Monumental Antonio Vespucio Liberti and their head coach is Alejandro...
- World CupFIFA World CupThe FIFA World Cup, often simply the World Cup, is an international association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of Fédération Internationale de Football Association , the sport's global governing body...
: 1
-
- 19781978 FIFA World CupThe 1978 FIFA World Cup, the 11th staging of the FIFA World Cup, was held in Argentina between 1 June and 25 June. The 1978 World Cup was won by Argentina who beat the Netherlands 3–1 after extra time in the final. This win was the first World Cup title for Argentina, who became the fifth...
- 1978
Individual
- NacionalNacional championshipThe Nacional championship was an Argentine football tournament that existed between 1967 and 1985. The Nacional formed one half of the Argentine 1st division taking place in the second half of the year, the Metropolitano took place in the first half of the year. This arrangement lasted until 1982...
: 1
-
- 1974
- MetropolitanoMetropolitano championshipThe Metropolitano championship was an Argentine football tournament that existed between 1967 and 1984. The Metropolitano formed one half of the Argentine 1st division taking place in the first half of the year, the Nacional took place in the 2nd half of the year. This arrangement lasted until 1982...
: 1
- Metropolitano
- 1976
- Pichichi Trophy: 2
- 1977, 1978
- World Cup Golden Boot: 1
- 1978
- World Cup Golden Ball: 1
- 1978
- Olimpia de PlataPlayer of the Year of ArgentinaThe Footballer of the Year of Argentina is a yearly award given by the Argentine Sports Journalists' Circle as one of the Olimpia Awards, the most important sports award in Argentina.The Olimpia...
: 1
- Olimpia de Plata
- 1978
- South American Footballer of the YearSouth American Footballer of the YearThe South American Footballer of the Year is an annual association football award presented to the best footballer in South America over the previous calendar year. The award was conceived by Venezuelan newspaper El Mundo, whom awarded it from 1971 to 1985. Uruguayan newspaper El País took over...
: 1
- South American Footballer of the Year
- 1978
- FIFA 100FIFA 100The FIFA 100 is a list of the world-renowned Brazilian striker Pelé's choice of the "greatest living footballers". Unveiled on 4 March 2004 at a gala ceremony in London, the FIFA 100 marked part of the celebrations of the 100th anniversary of the foundation of the Fédération Internationale de...
: 1
- FIFA 100
- 2004
- South American Player of the Century: Ranking Nº 23: 1
- 2006
- once d'or: 1978
- 1974
External links
- Mario Kempes profile, detailed club and national team statistics and honours
- Argentine Glory Kempes the catalyst for Argentine glory
- Classic Players Mario Kempes
- Observer Sport biographyFutbol Factory profile (Archived)