Mario Kempes was the emblem of Argentina’s 1978 World Cup triumph, a rangy, long-haired forward whose goals carried the host nation to their first world title. Powerful and direct, he ran at defences with unstoppable momentum and finished the tournament as its leading scorer.
Much of his club career unfolded in Spain with Valencia, where he was a prolific and beloved figure, twice topping the scoring charts in La Liga. Combative and instinctive, he embodied a bygone style of the roaming, goal-hungry centre-forward.