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Kempes was the hero of Argentina's win over the Netherlands in the 1978 final. Allsport Hulton/Archive |
The Argentine striker was the star of the 1978 tournament and produced one of the great match-winning performances in a World Cup final as the host nation beat the Netherlands 3-1.
Kempes' astute first half finish put Argentina ahead but it was after a late Dutch equalizer, and an even later scare in injury time, that he came to the fore.
Kempes danced through the Dutch defense, beating three men to score a wonderful solo goal. Later in extra time he applied the coup de grace, running again at the by-now beleaguered Dutch to set up Daniel Bertoni's third for Argentina.
With great balance and wonderful ball skills, Kempes was a typical South American forward, and he provided a silky counterpoise for Argentina while captain Daniel Passarella marshaled a regime of steel from defense.
Yet it wasn't until the later stages that Kempes lived up to his star billing. He had failed to score at all in 1974 and he didn't get off the mark in 1978 until his two-goal blast against Poland in the second round. But two more followed in the vital 6-0 win over Peru and with his pair in the final he finished as top scorer with six.
In 1982 Argentina was a disappointment and Kempes was no exception. He failed to score as the champion's defense ended in the second round.
