Name:
Mariappa KempaiahNickname: "
Kempiah Da"

Country:

India
Club:
East Bengal Club (1956-1957),
Mohun Bagan F.C. (1957-1964)
Position: *
DMF,
CMFSide: RF/BS
Age: 24-28 years (04/03/1932)
Height: 165 cm
Weight: 62 kg
Attack:
63Defence:
80Balance:
76Stamina:
87Top Speed:
78Acceleration:
79Response:
83Agility:
80Dribble Accuracy:
70Dribble Speed:
73Short Pass Accuracy:
71Short Pass Speed:
70Long Pass Accuracy:
74Long Pass Speed:
70Shot Accuracy:
60Shot Power:
75Shot Technique:
65Free Kick Accuracy:
57Curling:
58Header:
64Jump:
77Technique:
71Aggression:
63Mentality:
82Goalkeeper Skills:
50Team Work:
74Injury Tolerance:
ACondition:
7Weak Foot Accuracy:
5Weak Foot Frequency:
5Consistency:
6Growth type:
Standard/LastingCARDS:P02 - Anchor Man
S08 - Slide Tackle
SPECIAL ABILITIES: Center - Sliding
Attack/Defence Awareness Card: Defence Minded
INFO:Kempaiah was a right half, equally efficient in the center of the midfield. He played in the 1950s and 1960s, mostly for Mohun Bagan from 1957 to 1964, while he was part of East Bengal Club in his early career. An international player, he was instrumental at the 1956 and 1960 Olympics, especially in the first one.
Regarded as one of India's greatest ever midfielders, Kempaiah was a work horse in the pitch. He had a short physique but was described as the fittest Indian player during the national team's golden era thanks to his nutritive diet. He was an expert at stopping the opponents as well as regaining possession of the ball. These characteristics were helpful to the offensive minded India team. He was a tremendous, fearless fighter who never got scared. Even the best Indian or Asian strikers struggled to beat him. If they dribbled him, he would immediately tackled them exemplarily, snatching the ball perfectly. Gifted with outstanding stamina, he was never tired as he kept tackling, blocking, clearing with excellence. Another proof of his endurance and commitment is given by the fact that he used to run a dozen to thirty laps during training even when coach Rahim gave the team a day off. India's coach in the biennium 1963-64 was so impressed by Kempaiah that he compared his fitness to that of any English professional player.