Sports Nicknames - El Toro, El Matador

Mario Kempes is the legendary Argentinian footballer, the central point of the team that won the 1978 World Cup, a tournament where he won the Golden Boot and the Golden Ball awards for being the top scorer as well as the best player.



Mario Kempes was a prolific goalscorer. He would make a dashing run from outside of the box and score goals from inside the penalty area. Kempes had the height, strength and skills. He was nicknamed "El Toro", meaning the bull in English and "El Matador" because of these qualities.

Kempes played in Europe for the Spanish side Valencia, where he was the top La Liga goalscorer on two occasions.

In recent years, well after his retirement from football, Mario provides commentary for football matches and for the EA Sports FIFA video game.

Mario Kempes will always be remembered for bringing the first World Cup to his nation by scoring twice in the final and for being one of only three players to have won the World Cup, Golden Boot and Golden Ball in the same year, with the other two being Garrincha and Paolo Rossi.

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