Interview with Mario Alberto Kempes: Reflections on the Past, Present, and Future of the Argentine National Team

Interview Mario Alberto Kempes

-It has been one year since Argentina’s victory in Qatar, what difference do you find between the 2022 National Team and the 1978 one?

-It could just be the years and the desire without being able to achieve anything. These guys made us believe that it was possible and in the end it was achieved. The big difference is that 1978 is the live inexperience, of being people who were not outside the country, with the exception of me, and now everyone plays in Europe.

-How did you experience it?

-Totally different from 1978 and 1986. Because in ’78 I was inside the field and in ’86 I lived outside, far from my country; This time I lived it being there with them. With that hope that things would be done well, despite the fact that there was a setback at the start, little by little this generation made us believe that it could be done and in the end they achieved it.

-What do you think of Messi’s level in Qatar and what do you recommend for what’s to come?

-Recommend I can’t recommend anything, he is older and knows what he is doing. I think he is right to come to play in the United States, here he will be much calmer, he will have more time to play than in Europe, which is more complicated and maybe he can make it to the other World Cup, but the preparation will be be totally different because of that adrenaline that you can have in Europe, although here the league is going to bring more and more players from the powers.

-With all the experience you had as a player, journalist and commentator, who would be the top five most important and influential players of the Argentine national team?

-That would be insulting and disrespecting a lot of players. I think that everyone who has worn the National Team shirt, champions or not, gives their all, sometimes it goes well and sometimes it goes wrong. But choosing five seems disrespectful to me.

– Who do you think should be the starting nine of the Argentine team, with all the candidates for the position at their highest level?

-There are great nines, who may not score as many goals but participate in the game. For example, Julián (Álvarez) is a scorer, but he is not a nine, he is an all-rounder, Lautaro (Martínez) is a born scorer, but his aim failed in the World Cup. There are nine, I imagine that four months from now there will be more and in a year there will be more. Argentina has a great class of players today, and also thinking about the one to come.

-Are they candidates for the upcoming Copa América?

-Let’s play, candidates for four or five months it may be. Today I think they are two steps above the other teams, they can lose like they lost to Uruguay, but maybe they lose one in ten, not very often.

-How did you take Scaloni’s statements and the possibility of not continuing to lead the Argentine team?

-You have to respect everything. When Messi resigned I said it was fine. If he did things well, it was his fault that he lost, if he lost, it was his fault… There came a time when I said ‘what’s the point?’ Why are you going to ruin your life by coming to Argentina?’ He does everything he has to do, everything turns out well for him, but not for the National Team and that bothers. And I said ‘let him not come again, let him stay happy in Barcelona’. But one day the tables turned, he found a new coach, a new team, and there he began to enjoy himself and won the Copa América and the World Cup. The same thing happened with Scaloni, with no experience, a substitute coach, he started to do things well, they left him, he became champion and now he said “gentlemen, respect me.” If he wants to leave, he goes, and if he wants to stay, he stays. There must be some problems that we don’t know because it hurts to become champion, but it’s nice because then malaria comes and it’s your fault.

Mario Kempes celebrates one of the goals against Holland in the ’78 World Cup final

-Has losing to Arabia ended up benefiting the National Team thanks to the changes?

-He had to make changes to change the player’s mentality, and I think they worked. It doesn’t mean that those who were there were doing it wrong, but it was necessary to refresh a little.

-Is the Argentine fan the best in the world for you?

-Yes, but not because they have now given him the award in Qatar. At the level of teams and national teams they are the best, Argentina goes to play Japan and the Japanese come out singing.

– Do they keep stopping you to take photos?

-It depends on where I am, yes, but I live very calmly.

2024-01-01 03:21:00
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