Mario Kempes 95 Greats of the Game ICON Review: 97 Shooting, 95 Dribbling Striker Worth Building? FC 26

In-game feel & playstyle

Mario Kempes lands as a 95-rated Greats of the Game ICON striker, and on paper the shooting profile is genuinely scary. 97 shooting, 97 finishing, 97 shot power and 97 positioning mean he is built to be where the ball drops and to bury it once it arrives. Pair that with 95 dribbling, 94 pace and a 5-star weak foot and you have a forward who can finish from either boot and hold the ball under pressure. The catch is the Controlled acceleration type. Kempes will not feel like a quick-twitch nippy striker; he ramps up over distance rather than exploding off the first step, so his metaScore lands at 81.4 in the B tier despite the elite shooting numbers.

Strengths

• ✅ 97 finishing & 97 shooting, near-perfect striker numbers that punish almost any sight of goal
• ✅ 97 shot power, lets him score from distance and rip through keepers from the edge of the box
• ✅ 97 positioning & 96 composure, he ghosts into the right spots and stays calm one-on-one
• ✅ 5-star weak foot, no scared side, finish confidently with either boot
• ✅ 95 dribbling & 91 physical, holds up play and stays a handful in tight areas

Weaknesses

• ❌ Controlled acceleration, he builds speed gradually and can feel a step slow against Explosive defenders in the current meta
• ❌ 4-star skill moves, fine but short of the 5-star flair you get from the top-tier meta forwards
• ❌ 55 defending, expected for a pure ST but means zero help when you lose the ball
• ❌ B meta tier (81.4), elite on the ball but the accel type keeps him out of the S/A bracket

Best position, chemistry style & squads

Use Kempes at ST as an Advanced Forward, exactly his meta role. The single most important fix for this card is the Controlled accel, so a Hunter chemistry style is the natural pick, adding pace and shooting to make him feel sharper off the mark while pushing his already huge finishing higher. If you would rather lean into the all-round threat, an Engine boosts pace, dribbling and passing for a more mobile creator-finisher. As an ICON he carries the universal ICON links, slotting into any nation or league side, and his Argentina nationality makes him a clean fit alongside other Argentine attackers or in an Argentina-cored squad.

Final verdict & ratings

Buy in if you value a striker who finishes everything and you can stomach a slower first step; the 97 shooting and 5-star weak foot make him a reliable goalscorer who rarely fluffs a chance. Skip him if your build is all about explosive, skill-heavy wingers and pacey forwards who beat the press in a single touch, because the Controlled accel and 4-star skills will frustrate you there. Since the price is unavailable and this looks untradeable or without market data, judge him as an SBC or pack reward rather than a coin purchase.

Conclusion

Elite hands, elite finish, slightly heavy feet. A Hunter Kempes is a clinical B-tier ICON ST who scores goals, just do not expect him to win footraces.