Today is Target’s birthday. Louis ArtemBorn in Villa Palmira, Mendoza, on December 2, 1938, he will blow out 87 candles: a good day to bring him out of the logical oblivion that comes with the passage of years, the passage of generations that did not know him, and the absence of cinematic recordings that remember him. Those of us who watched him play in the late 1950s, 1960s and early 1970s know that he was a great goalscorer, a tiger in the penalty box, a man who pummeled goalkeepers and defenders with those unstoppable runs that brought bewilderment to the faces of opponents, who always seem to be talking in old photographs, and you can guess the unanswered question on their faces: “Where did this man come from?”
Those who faced him, rivals for the status of Perfumo, Silvero, Albrecht, Anedo and “Hacha Brava” Navarro (who broke his ankle in 1963), to name but a few of the monikers from football archaeology, but relevant at the time, said that marking the player was a nightmare. There was no way to stop him once he was sent into empty spaces in the final meters, where the area burned, as if he was possessed by that talent to “find” lost balls and turn them into goals and screams from the audience.
So much so that even at times it is indisputable Liu Qingremains the record holder for goalscoring in the Argentine national team from the 1960s onwards: He scored 24 in 25 matches, an average of 0.96 per gameIt is a record that is still in effect today, and neither Batistuta, Crespo, Maradona, Con Aguero, Lautaro, nor Julian were able to surpass it… Not even Messi himself.
This does not mean that they only did this in the South American qualifiers, as the competitive level was very low in most of the teams, with the exception of Brazil, Uruguay and Argentina. At the World Cup in England (1966) he scored 3 of Albiceleste’s 4 goals (2 against Spain in the first match and one against Switzerland, which secured qualification before the scandalous elimination by England 0-1 at the legendary Wembley Stadium). He also recorded a tour of Europe.
He was Four times the best scorer in the AFC Championships: two with river (1962 and 1963) and two with independent (1966 and National 1967); And three times in the Uruguayan championships with Montevideo National (1969, 1970, 1971). In it Paulista Championship From 1968 with a shirt PalmeirasHe scored 20 goals and is only bettered by Pele with 23 goals. In two seasons, he scored 49 goals in 57 matches.
in atlantaHe appeared in his early twenties and scored 51 goals in 71 matches. in river Made 65 in 80; At Independiente he scored 45 goals in 72 goals. In Uruguay he destroyed everything and was an idol: He scored 73 goals in 80 matches, and became the champion of the Copa Libertadores and the Club World Cup in 1971.. In the Intercontinental Final, against Greek Panathinaikos, in home and away matches, he scored all three goals for his team: 1-1 away from home and 2-1 in Centenary. He reached 348 goals in official matches. If friendly matches, unofficial competitions and cups are included, the number may reach 500 or more.
When summer tournaments were in vogue in the country, and he was already playing abroad, he gave us bursts of his unchanging habits: in 1969, in Mar del Plata, with Palmeiras, he eliminated Rapid Vienna with The five goals resounded 5-0; And in 1970, in Montevideo, the guillotine of the area was made to feel San Lorenzo mercilessly with many The matador 1968: The score was a devastating 7-2, with five goals for them. Six minutes before the end, the match was close, with a score of 3-2 in favor of Uruguay. In that time, Artem scored three goals, one every two minutes, bringing the score to 6-2. He’s already made two of the first three. And there was another one from another Argentine: Palito Mameli.
Whoever writes will never forget, no matter how many years pass, another of those storms that broke out without warning. Not a cloud in the sky and suddenly “Flood Artem”over and over again. A memorable day on October 16, 1960 at Villa Crespo: Atalanta fell hopelessly to a Racing team that had already become champion in 1959 and would do so again in 1961, one of those teams whose line-up was said to be “in a row”. The game was 3-1 with only fifteen minutes remaining. Everything would happen there: three successive scrambles by a kid who was appearing at the time, with curly hair, entering and leaving the area with lightning speed, to the ordeal of the race defense. He wasn’t just a hungry striker: he was a monster who predicted goals on the horizon.. until Atalanta won 4-3, with three of them in a delirious quarter-hour.
Today is the day to thank him for the childlike joy that filled him and so many others that spring afternoon, on any field, in any jersey. Mr. Gul is 87 years old. The truth was that he deserved to see him scream again and again, with such unmistakable celebration, so he shamelessly opened his mouth with a bang that echoed in his own and the others’ ears: “…ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooool.” He did not apologize “from the stands” if he scored goals against his previous teams. He shouted at them with his soul on fire, as he shouted with every goal. So he was pushing it over the line.