Certainly, there are lots of famous and successful forwards in the history of Argentine football; however, the greatest one has to be Mario Kempes, nicknamed El Matador.
Career
While being a famous player, Mario Kempes played in the Argentine league and for Spanish giants, yet he will always be remembered as the Argentine who won the 1978 World Cup.
Argentine career
The native of Bell Ville joined Instituto Atlético Central Córdoba at an early age and played there until transferring to Rosario Central. There Mario showed his true potential as a striker by demonstrating movement, power, and instinct. He is known as a professional player who approached every game seriously and did not try anything fancy. This strategy was quite helpful for him as Kempes liked to take advantage of spaces on the pitch and get into the penalty box faster than others to punish the defense for mistakes. In this way, he already became one of the top strikers in his country before transferring to Spain and achieving even greater results there.
Spanish career
The transfer to Spanish Valencia CF in 1976 turned Mario Kempes' career completely in another direction, as he first became one of the best La Liga players and then one of the most popular foreigners at the club. Apart from the role he played when the team won the European Cup Winners' Cup in 1980, he became popular among Valencia fans because of his performances that were characterized by his aggressiveness and energy. However, this was not the end of Kempes' success in that season at all. In 1978, the FIFA World Cup took place in Argentina and there Mario Kempes became the leading figure of the national team. Besides that, during this championship and especially in the final against the Netherlands, he scored several crucial goals and even turned a tied game into victory with a brace. At the same time, he won the 1978 FIFA World Cup Golden Boot as the top scorer of that championship, proving that he is a striker who demonstrates brilliance in big games. It is hard to say which of those two achievements means more for him, yet it is clear that the FIFA World Cup is what every supporter connects with Mario Kempes.
Later years
Afterwards, Mario Kempes returned to football by joining such clubs as River Plate and Hércules CF. Apart from that, he tried himself in broadcasting, becoming a commentator and analyst for different sports channels. Just like other legends, Mario became an influential person for young generations who learn the basics of football nowadays. Nevertheless, it is clear that this fact will not change his reputation.
Conclusion
Thus, as can be seen, it is not only successful club and international tournaments that help Mario Kempes remain in football history. In addition to that, it is his strategy of playing that distinguishes him from other players and makes him a successful striker. He is the striker who combines technique with urgency and has no fear of any kind of pressure. Every supporter of Argentine football remembers Mario for the 1978 World Cup, every Valencia fan – as a great player of that club, and every football fan – just for being a great goal-getter.