Kempes, a star without a farewell party

It never stops being funny to see how the Macrist media and sports programs (those from La Red, Mitre, etc., etc., etc.) that basically have no other reason for being than to dedicate themselves day by day to smoothing out the management of Riquelme in Boca (let’s say that his management was so erratic that many times he seems to file himself down), it is still funny, he said, to see how now they get on the crack farewell party, so as not to be left out of the matter. Of course they look for the hair to the egg, so they complain if Riquelme prohibits photographers (I think that at this point what should be prohibited is journalism, but this is not the space to develop the idea), they announce “the particularities ” (said in a pejorative way) of the event, which basically consists of the fact that Grupo Clarín, ESPN and others of the like ran out of business. Anyway. For us, the story goes through seeing Messi and Riquelme give each other some passes, plus a group of retired players who keep themselves in good shape and who are going to stretch their legs for a while in the Bombonera by running –or jogging– after the ball ( It’s a pity that Palermo can’t be there because Boca played more or less well).

There is already a history of great farewell/tribute matches (which also includes that of Maxi Rodríguez, himself a great player, also with Messi on the field). Like everything that happened to him, the biggest was Maradona’s, in which he played with… Riquelme’s 10! (Riquelme’s ingratitude towards Maradona was always unbearable for me). It was November 10, 2001, while the country, almost like now, was exploding. What players achieved? We don’t even remember! We remember, on the other hand, and almost by heart, his speech, that of “the ball does not stain.” However, there were Matthäus, Cantona, Valderrama, Recoba, Francescoli. And Riquelme, the Patrón Bermúdez, Ayala, Samuel, Aimar and Basile in the bank, who will be back now. With Riquelme’s being half as exciting as Maradona’s, it would already make it unforgettable. They say that Alonso’s farewell was also exciting, I didn’t see it and I don’t have any memories (memory is like that, selective). Bochini also had a late match-tribute, but I would not dare to write in this supplement and in this newspaper about Independiente. Did Kempes have a farewell party? I am very happy with the institutional advertisements of the AFA about the three World Cups won, in which Kempes occupies a place on the podium, along with Messi and Maradona. Sometimes, I think that Kempes doesn’t have the recognition that he deserves, since he was a megacrack. Víctor Hugo Morales often called Caniggia “the missing link” between Maradona and the others. For me that place is Kempes. In any case, I remember that in 1995 a Central-Newell’s was organized, in an even later tribute to Kempes, but the game was suspended before the end due to excesses in the Newell’s fans.