Mario Kempes “El Matador”

Mario Alberto Kempes Chiodi

The football player Mario had a child named Mario Kempes on July 15, 1954 in Bell Ville Argentina. That child would later become a successful striker and get called “El Matador” and “El Toro”.

El Matador

Mario Kempes wanted to play football, just like his father and started playing at a junior team when he was 7.

After starting his club career at Instituto, scoring 11 goals in 13 games; El Matador moved to Rosario Central in 1973. He scored 85 goals in 105 games in 3 years he had at Rosario Central. Mario Kempes ’s success led him to play at Valencia, the team where people got to know him.

Club Career

He won the La Copa, the European Cup Winners’ Cup, the UEFA Super Cup and 2 consecutive Pichichis. It was after he scored 24 goals in 1976-1977 and 28 goals 1977-1978. Playing for Valencia, Alberto totally scored 116  goals in 184 matches. He was the top scorer of La Liga while playing for the club.

Mario Kempes played for several clubs until 1994, scoring 300 goals in 555 appearances.

International Career of El Matador

Mario played for his national team Argentina between 1973-1982. He joined the World Cups 1974, 1978, 1982 with his country.

During 1978 World Cup; he scored a brace against Poland, Argentina’s 1^st semi-final game. Then against Peru, Alberto scored a brace again. In the final match against the Netherlands, he scored his last brace in the tournament and became the leading goal scorer of World Cup 1978. Mario couldn’t score any goals after the ones he scored in 1978 World Cup.

Alberto scored 20 goals in 43 matches during the time he played for the national team.

See also Hernan Crespo, Maradona, Pele, Paul Breitner, Franz Beckenbauer