Steven Gerrard vs Mario Kempes: Stats Compared
Central Midfielder, England (born 1980, retired 2016) · Striker, Argentina (born 1954, retired 1996)
The Steven Gerrard–Mario Kempes comparison is one of those fixtures of footballing folklore. Both built reputations on finding the back of the net, but they did it in markedly different ways. Steven Gerrard finishes with 212 career goals from 860 games — a 0.25 strike rate — against Mario Kempes's 350 from 600 at 0.58 per match. Assists were not reliably tracked for much of their careers, which makes the playmaking comparison an imperfect one; where records exist, Steven Gerrard is credited with 155 and Mario Kempes with 0. The honours ledger favours Steven Gerrard with 8 major trophies (1× UEFA Champions League (2005)) against Mario Kempes's 3 (1× FIFA World Cup (1978)). Where Steven Gerrard was a dictatorial presence in the box, Mario Kempes offered a explosive approach to goalscoring. Club journeys add another layer, with Steven Gerrard reaching his representative peak around 2005 across Liverpool, LA Galaxy and Mario Kempes doing so around 1978 with Rosario Central, Valencia CF, River Plate, Valencia CF, Hércules CF, Austria Vienna. Picking between them says as much about the picker as the players.
181 words · comparison angle: goalscoring
Player profiles
Liverpool captain who led the famous 2005 Champions League comeback in Istanbul; one-club man for most of his Premier League career.
“A dynamic box-to-box midfielder with a hammer of a right foot and a habit of dragging Liverpool back into games.”
The talismanic top scorer of the 1978 World Cup, Kempes was Argentina's long-haired talisman and one of the first South American stars to shine in Spanish football.
“A powerful, direct forward who ran at defences from deep and finished with ferocious shooting power.”
Head-to-head stats
Career goals by season
Representative career seasons — goals per season for each player across their documented clubs.
Attribute radar
Attribute ratings are peak-era, 0–100. Different positions naturally skew the profile.
Attribute comparison
Trophy breakdown
- 1× UEFA Champions League (2005)
- 1× UEFA Cup (2001)
- 2× FA Cup (2001, 2006)
- 3× EFL Cup (2001, 2003, 2012)
- 1× UEFA Super Cup (2001)
- 1× FIFA World Cup (1978)
- 1× UEFA Cup Winners' Cup (1980)
- 1× Copa del Rey (1979)
Trophy distribution
Career milestones
- 1998 Liverpool debut
- 2001 Won the UEFA Cup, FA Cup and League Cup treble
- 2003 Replaced Sami Hyypiä as Liverpool captain
- 2005 Lifted the Champions League in Istanbul
- 2006 Player of the match in the FA Cup final
- 2012 Captained Great Britain at the Olympics
- 2015 Left Liverpool for LA Galaxy
- 1973 Professional debut for Rosario Central
- 1978 Won FIFA World Cup with Valencia CF
- 1979 Won Copa del Rey with Valencia CF
- 1978 Reached the peak of his powers at Valencia CF
- 1996 Retired after a final spell at Austria Vienna
- Finished his career with 350 goals in 600 appearances and 3 major honours. Finished his career with 350 goals in 600 appearances and 3 major honours.
The verdict
On balance Steven Gerrard edges the comparison. The margin is a decisive margin, decided mostly by a weightier trophy cabinet.
Steven Gerrard edges it (a decisive margin)
