Carlos Vela

At 35 years old, Carlos Vela has this physical status:

Carlos Alberto Vela Garrido (born 1 March 1989) is a Mexican professional footballer who captains and plays as a winger for Los Angeles FC and the Mexico national team. Vela started his career at Mexican club Guadalajara, where he caught the eye of various European clubs after finishing as the top scorer at the 2005 FIFA U-17 World Championship, eventually joining Premier League club Arsenal that year.

After joining Arsenal, he had loan spells at Spanish clubs Salamanca and Osasuna, as well as fellow English club West Bromwich Albion, settling with Real Sociedad initially on loan and then permanently on 10 August 2012.

He joined Los Angeles FC in January 2018, winning the Supporters' Shield and the MLS Golden Boot in his second year, and setting a new league record for most goals in a season, with 34.

He was also voted Most Valuable Player. Vela made his debut with the senior Mexico national team in 2007 in a friendly match against Brazil, and scored his first goal for his country in a friendly against Guatemala.

He participated in Mexico's CONCACAF Gold Cup victory in 2009, and participated in the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa.

Vela rejected all subsequent call-ups for more than three years, including friendlies, World Cup qualifiers, and various major tournaments including the 2014 FIFA World Cup, citing various reasons for his refusals.

In November 2014, Vela made his return to the national team and participated in the 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup and 2018 FIFA World Cup.

Early life

Carlos Alberto Vela Garrido was born 1 March 1989 in Cancún, Quintana Roo, Mexico to Enrique Vela, an iron welder from Campeche, and Nella Garrido, a stay-at-home mother from Tabasco. His father played semi-professional football but an injury caused by a torn ligament caused him to retire. Vela's father enrolled him into local football teams. Vela's first club was Ko Cha Wolis, which translates to "Kicking Round Ball" in Mayan. He learned a lot and made significant development and progress during his time spent there, according to Félix Alcalá, his coach at the time.

In school, Vela played both basketball and football simultaneously, which caused many problems between his coaches. His father made him decide to focus on only one sport at the age of 12, in which Vela chose football. Enrique Vela was frustrated at the fact that his son was not being scouted due to living in Cancún. Around the same time, José Luis Real of C.D. Guadalajara's youth system sent scouts to Cancún in 2001, where Vela caught their eye. He was summoned to a youth tournament in Buenos Aires with Guadalajara as a small trial period with unpaid expenses.

In 2003, during a local competition held in Ciudad Victoria, Vela was seen and was presented with offers with local teams of the Primera División. He eventually joined Guadalajara in 2003, though he never received a call up to the club's first-team squad, thus not being able to make his professional debut in Mexico.

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Club career

Vela and his brother Alejandro started working in Guadalajara. Jorge Vergara, the owner and club president of Guadalajara after winning the 2005 FIFA World Championship with Mexico and finishing as the top scorer with five goals, agreed to sign him. Since Vela's family lived in Cancn, he requested that the club relocate them as a condition of his signing. Vela had previously demonstrated his sincere love to his father, whose birthday occurred on the day when Mexico defeated Brazil in the U-17 World Cup final by handing the cup to his father and naming his Golden Boot to him.

Vela attracted attention from a number of European clubs, and Arsenal won the competition for his signature in November 2005 on a five-year contract, securing him in fifth place after he played 50 first-team games. Arsenal, on the other hand, was enforcing English language restrictions for non-EU citizens, who prevented him from playing in England, but he was turned away right away with no games played.

Vela was loaned to Salamanca's Spanish Segunda División team Salamanca at the end of the season. He had a fruitful stay in Salamanca, scoring eight of Salamanca's 53 goals, many of which he credited himself.

After his loan spell with Salamanca ended, major La Liga clubs, Levante, Osasuna, and Almer, were all keen on extending him on loan from Arsenal for whom he had yet to obtain a work permit. A one-year loan transfer to Osasuna was agreed, but there was the possibility of a further extension for another year. However, there was no such thing as a permanent solution in the agreement. In a match against Real Betis on October 31, 2007, he scored his first goal with Osasuna, a feat that attracted several accolades from the Spanish media.

Vela was granted a work permit on May 22nd, 2008, which allowed him to play in England. Vela will be part of the first team in the coming season, according to Arsenal boss Arsène Wenger, who described Vela as a striker in Eduardo's mould.

Vela made his Premier League debut against Newcastle United on August 30, 2008, beating Robin van Persie in the 63rd minute. Arsenal defeated the opposition 3–0. Vela scored a hat-trick in a 6–0 win over Sheffield United in the League Cup, scoring his second goal in a full debut on September 23, 2008, for Arsenal's Greatest 50 Goals. The match was also notable for starring Arsenal's youngest ever side, with an average age of 19.

Vela scored the first goal in a 3–0 victory against Burnley on March 8, 2009, chipping the ball over the keeper and into the goal. On May 2nd, he scored his first goal in the Premier League against Portsmouth, making him the second Mexican player to score a goal in the Premier League. Due to the 2009 swine flu epidemic, Vela was barred from Arsenal's training session as a precaution. Two of Vela's friends from Mexico visited him over the weekend, and Arsenal was asked not to keep him away. After being given the all-clear, he returned to training the next day.

Vela did not participate in Arsenal's pre-season campaign from 2009-2010 after suffering an ankle injury that kept him out until September. He returned to action in Arsenal's 2–0 victory by helping with the first and scoring the second goal against West Bromwich Albion in the League Cup on September 22. He made his first appearance of the season in the Premier League against Sunderland on November 21, playing 21 minutes after arriving as a substitute for Eduardo. On December 10, 2009, Vela's deal with Arsenal was renewed. Vela played his 50th game in an Arsenal shirt against Blackburn Rovers on May 4th. Arsenal beat Fulham 2-0 on May 9th, scoring his fourth goal.

Vela scored his first goal of the season against Bolton Wanderers in a 4–1 home victory on September 11, 2010. When Arsenal defeated Portuguese side Braga 6–0 on September 15, Vela scored two goals in the UEFA Champions League.

Vela joined West Brom on loan until the 2010-11 season on January 28. He made his debut in a 2–2 draw against Wigan Athletic on February 1st, playing 58 minutes. He scored his first goal against Wolverhampton Wanderers in his third game for the club, scoring in his third game for the club. Vela scored for West Brom in the dying minutes of a game against Stoke City in order to salvage a 1–1 draw after coming on as a late replacement.

Arsenal revealed on August 15, 2011 that Vela would be loaned out to Real Sociedad in Spain, subject to a medical examination. After passing the medical exam, he was officially unveiled on August 17, 2011. Vela scored a bicycle kick goal to equalize for Real Sociedad, his second of the season, against Málaga on December 4, 2011 before teammate Diego Ifrán scored a late winner to make the score 3–2. In a 2–1 loss to Barcelona, Vela scored his only goal for the season, making it his third goal of the season.

Vela's future at Arsenal began to surface in early February 2012, with the claim that he wished to remain in Spain with Real Sociedad. "I don't want to return to Arsenal," Vela has been quoted as saying. To stay here, I have asked my agent to talk to Arsenal."

Vela was officially transferred from Arsenal to Real Sociedad on July 17th, 2012, after making over 30 appearances in all competitions and scoring 12 goals. Arsenal reported the transfer on August ten August. He was given the number 11 shirt. Vela's main role in the 2012-2013 season was to play on the right wing, scoring 14 goals and nine assists, as well as having nine assists. In the media, there had been rumors that he would return to Arsenal, but no negotiations were held between the two teams.

Vela started scoring once and assisting the other in the team's 2–0 victory over Getafe in the 2013–14 season. Real Sociedad's advancement to the group stages of the Champions League at Lyon's expense was confirmed by his two goals, a header, and a stoppage-time individual goal. In La Real's 4–3 victory over Celta Vigo on November 23, he scored four goals.

Vela had won La Liga Player of the Month for December after his appearances against Real Betis, Granada, Real Madrid, and Barcelona on January 20, 2014.

Vela scored in the 1–1 draw against Granada on May 5, 2014. Vela's 15th league strike of the season was his 15th in all competitions, surpassing his previous record of 14 from the previous season. He was nominated for the Best Forward in the league at the LFP Awards of the season, losing out to Cristiano Ronaldo. Vela signed a four-year contract extension on June 24, which will keep him at Real Sociedad until 2018.

In Real Sociedad's 4–2 victory over Real Madrid on September 1, 2014, Vela scored his first goal of the 2014-15 season. As the team defeated Elche 3–0 for new boss David Moyes' first game at the club on Friday, he scored all of the team's goals. These were three of his four league goals this month, which earned him the La Liga Player of the Month award once more.

Vela was forced to leave in the 17th minute due to a knee injury that was later reported to be ligament damage and would require surgery. Although Vela had predicted that he would miss the remainder of the season, it was later revealed by a club statement that the injury was an internal meniscus tear and that Vela would be out for two months. He returned to Córdoba on March 22nd, being recalled for Esteban Granero in the 66th minute and contributing to Real Sociedad's 3–1 victory.

In Real Sociedad's 4–0 victory over Levante on October 25, 2015, Vela scored his first two goals of the 2015–16 season.

Vela had been barred from the first team after failing to turn up two days earlier, claiming he was suffering from gastroenteritis, but a picture of him attending a Chris Brown concert in Madrid just hours after the team's 1–1 draw against Levante emerged on social media on March 9, 2016. He was eventually fined by the club and ruled out of the team's next match against Celta Vigo. However, Sociedad boss Eusebio Sacristán called Vela in the squad for the match against Celta, who was playing as a second-half replacement in the 0–1 loss.

Vela played in his 200th league match for Real Sociedad over the weekend's 3–1 victory over Sporting de Gijón, as well as being the second-most appearances for the team behind Darko Kovaevi.

Real Sociedad and Vela have signed an agreement with Major League Soccer for Vela, which will debut in 2018. As the transfer window opened on January 1, 2018, it was announced that he would join expansion team Los Angeles FC as their first Designated Player.

Vela played in his last match for Real Sociedad on December 20, scoring the team's 3–1 victory over Sevilla on December 20, 2017.

Vela had signed by Los Angeles FC on August 8, 2017, becoming the first named player on the team and officially joining the team on January 1, 2018.

Vela's debut with Los Angeles FC on March 4th was his first with the team's 1–0 victory over Seattle Sounders FC. Vela will score his first goal with Los Angeles on March 10th, scoring the final goal in a 5–1 thrashing of Real Salt Lake on March 10th. Vela became the first player to score in the El Tráfico derby against Los Angeles' dramatic 3–4 loss. In a 2–0 win over the Vancouver Whitecaps on April 13, he would score his first goal. During Los Angeles' 5–3 victory over Montreal Impact, he would convert a penalty a week later. In a 2–2 tie against New York City FC on May 13th, he would score Los Angeles' second goal. In a 2–1 loss, he would score his team's only goal against the Portland Timbers a few days later.

Vela was voted captain of the MLS All-Star Game against Juventus on July 26, 2018, where they first tied the match 1–1 but then fell 5–3 in penalties. Vela was appointed as the successor after club captain Laurent Ciman's departure. In the 2–0 victory over San Jose Earthquakes on September 22, Vela gave Walker Zimmerman two assists. He was involved in all of his team's goals in a 4–2 victory on October 12th in a league match against Houston Dynamo, scoring a brace and contributing two assists. In November 2018, he will be included in the MLS Best XI of 2018.

Mundo Deportivo first announced that there was a lot of money from Barcelona to loan him out, with Vela later revealing, "It was really close."

In their 5–0 away win over the San Jose Earthquakes on March 30, Vela scored his first hat-trick with LAFC. Vela scored both goals in a 2–3 loss to the Los Angeles Galaxy on July 19th; his first goal was his 20th league goal of the season, and he became the fastest player in MLS history to reach that record.

He was voted captain for the second time in a row by social media for the 2019 MLS All-Star Game against Atlético Madrid.

Vela tied for the highest scoring Mexican in MLS history with 36 goals against Atlanta United FC on July 26th. In a 2–0 away victory over Real Salt Lake, which saw LAFC clinch the playoffs, Vela scored his 24th goal of the 2019 MLS season from the penalty spot on August 17. Vela's 39th season on record (34 goals and 15 assists), one more than Giovinco's 38 (22 goals and 16 assists). Vela scored the first goal in a 3–1 home win over the Houston Dynamo from the penalty spot on September 25; the victory saw LAFC clinch the Supporters' Shield. Vela scored his 31st goal of the 2019 MLS season on September 29th in a 1-1 draw against Minnesota United FC, tying Josef Martez' record for the most goals in a single MLS season. In a 3–1 home victory over the Colorado Rapids on October 6, Martnez tied for the first time in Martnez' history. He finished the season with 34 goals and 15 assists for a total score of 49 points, earning him the MLS Golden Boot award as the league's best-scoring player.

Vela scored twice and assisted once in a 5–3 home victory over the LA Galaxy in the Western Conference semi-finals on October 24, 2010. Los Angeles was disqualified in the Western Conference Finals following a 3–1 home loss to the Seattle Sounders on October 29, in which Vela's impact was severely stifled by the opposing team, who kept the ball away from him; as a result, he only had one shot on goal during the entire game. Vela ended the 2019 season by winning the MLS Most Valuable Player Award for his job, beating Galaxy rival Zlatan Ibrahimovi and Atlanta United forward Josef Martinez by a wide margin.

Vela played his first professional match against León, a Mexican club, in the first leg of the CONCACAF Champions League round of 16 in January 2019, which ended in a 0–2 away loss. Vela will score a brace on the second leg of the round on February 27, making the overall victory a landslide for the LAFC.

Vela scored LAFC's only goal against Inter Miami CF, which his team defeated 1–0 on March 1st. Vela is not traveling with the team for the MLS is Back Tournament in Orlando, Florida, because of his wife's pregnancy, Los Angeles FC announced on July 6th. Vela returned to action with the team on August 22nd, defeating the LA Galaxy by a 2–0 loss, but he had to be recalled out due to a left knee injury, putting him out for a long time. He returned to action against LA Galaxy on October 25th, starting as a second-half replacement and winning by a chipped goal during stoppage time, making him the top scorer of El Tráfico history with ten goals.

Vela scored a penalty to equalize for LAFC in their quarter-final victory over Mexican side Cruz Azul on December 16th, following the CONCACAF Champions League's presumption after the COVID-19 pandemic. Vela scored a brace within the first two minutes of LAFC's semi-final match against Club América on December 19th, becoming the first MLS team to defeat three Mexican sides in the same Champions League tournament. In LAFC's 2–1 loss to Tigres UANL in the final three days, Vela played all 90 minutes. He was later selected in the tournament's top XI after scoring a total of five goals in the tournament.

Vela played his first match against new MLS club Austin FC on April 17, 2021. Nevertheless, he was subbed at the 22nd minute due to a back injury. He returned to the Seattle Sounders on May 16th in a 2-0 loss. Vela came into the game in the 70th minute. Vela scored his first goal of the season against FC Dallas on June 23 June, resulting in a 2-0 victory for LAFC. Vela suffered his right quad during the match against the Vancouver Whitecaps and was subbed at the 16th minute. Vela did not make it to the 2021 MLS All-Star Game because of this.

International career

Vela participated in the 2005 FIFA U-17 World Championship, which took place in Peru, where he helped Mexico beat Mexico. In a 3–0 victory, he would go on to score three goals in the group stage, one against Uruguay in a 2–0 victory and two against Australia. During a 3–1 victory over Costa Rica during a.e.t, he would also score Mexico's last goal. He scored Mexico's first goal in their 3–0 victory in the quarterfinals and once again in the final against Brazil. He earned the Adidas Golden Boot in a season as the top scorer with five goals.

Vela was a member of the 2007 FIFA U-20 World Cup under 20 team.

Vela made his international debut for the senior national team during his stay in Osasuna on September 12, 2007, defeating 3–1. In a friendly against Guatemala in Los Angeles on October 18, he scored his first senior international goal for Mexico.

Vela scored his second senior international goal in a friendly against Peru in the 20th minute on June 8, 2008, assisting Mexico in a 4–0 victory. In the 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifying opener against Belize, Mexico scored 1–0, with him scoring in their 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifying opener. He scored the first goal of the match against Belize in the return leg and started the 7–0 win over El Trin's.

Vela represented Mexico at the 2009 CONCACAF Gold Cup in July 2009. In Mexico's opener against Nicaragua, he appeared in the first round. Vela was awkwardly on his right leg five minutes into the match, but he collapsed awkwardly on his right leg. X-rays, on the other hand, showed that he did not break anything and could return to play again in the tournament. Mexico advanced to the semi-finals against Costa Rica, where Vela will return in the 81st minute. The game was tied 1–1 and went to penalties after an extra time. Vela scored Mexico's fifth penalty after Guillermo Ochoa saved Froylán Ledezma's penalty, advancing them to the final. Vela was brought on at halftime in the final against the United States, with the score deadlocked at 0–0. Mexico defeated the United States 5–0, with Vela assisting on the first goal, scoring the second time and assisting the fourth.

Vela scored one goal and aided in a 4–1 win over El Salvador on October 10, 2009, assisting Mexico in the tournament's appearance.

Vela scored his first international goal against a European team in a friendly match against Italy on June 3, 2010. With an assist from Giovani dos Santos, he scored the first goal of the game. The match will be decided 2–1 by Mexico. He was a starting left-winger in the tournament's first match against South Africa, losing 1–1 tie in the 69th minute for Cuauhtémoc Blanco. Vela was forced to withdraw in the 31st minute for Pablo Barrera due to injury and will miss the following matches against Uruguay and Argentina.

Following a match with Colombia on September 21, the Mexican Football Federation announced that Vela and teammate Efra's Juárez would be suspended from the Mexican national team for six months for their participation in a party on September 7th. Vela and 12 other players were also fined 50,000 Mexican pesos (roughly US$3,953) on September 24, 2010, which was used to assist the flood victims in Veracruz, Mexico.

Vela returned to the national team after head coach José Manuel de la Torre called him up for a friendly match against Venezuela in March 2011, his last match with the national team for three years. He was disqualified from last year's Gold Cup, which Mexico went on to win. Vela was included in the preliminary roster for the 2011 Copa América, but Arsenal refused to let him go, citing that it wasn't a CONCACAF tournament. He declined a call-up to the 2012 London Olympics, which Mexico won due to his desire to prove himself with his new club Real Sociedad. He turned down a third attempt to join the national team in March 2013 against the United States and Honduras due to personal reasons.

Vela's decision to return to play for Mexico had been sparked after De La Torre was fired. Vucetich called him up for World Cup qualifiers against Panama and Costa Rica in September 2013, but Vela declined once more to return to the national team. Later that day, Vucetich refused to make any further remarks about Vela, referring to it as a "closed situation." Miguel Herrera, the current national team coach, flew to Spain with Mexican Football Federation officials on February 3rd to speak with Vela and ask if he is interested in representing the national team. Vela said after the meeting that he was not "100 percent confident to represent Mexico" and thus ruled out his participation in the 2014 FIFA World Cup.

Vela received a call up from Miguel Herrera to the national team for the friendly matches against the Netherlands and Belarus in November 2014. Mexico defeated the Dutch 3–2 at the Amsterdam Arena on November 12th, with Mehm twice scoring on his return.

Vela was invited to compete in the 2015 CONCACAF Gold Cup, scoring in the team's first match against Cuba on July 9th. Vela scored his second goal in the Mexican league's 4–4 draw against Trinidad and Tobago on July 15th. Vela was issued two yellow cards in the quarterfinal and semi-final matches against Costa Rica and Panama, respectively, meaning he would miss the final against Jamaica, which Mexico defeated Jamaica 3–1. He was also called up to the current CONCACAF Cup, a play-off match to determine CONCACAF's entry into the 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup, against the United States, who was regarded as an ineffective substitute in Mexico's 3–2 victory.

Juan Carlos Osorio called him up in May 2017 to be included in the Confederations Cup in Russia. Despite being a starter in Mexico's first group stage match against Portugal, Javier Hernández would score Mexico's first goal and tie Mexico's first goal in a game that was eventually tied 2–2. He will participate in Mexico's last group stage match against Russia and a third place play-off against Portugal.

Vela was selected in Mexico's preliminary 28-man squad for the World Cup in May 2018 and later included in the final 23-man roster in June. In Mexico's second group stage match against South Korea on June 23, he scored their first goal via a penalty kick in the 2–1 win; it was also his first World Cup goal for Mexico. He appeared in all group stage matches as well as against Brazil in the round of 16. Rigo Ferretti, the national team's interim boss, was named as interim head of the national team following manager Osorio's departure, but did not include him in the roster for the post-World Cup September friendlies. Vela insisted on honoring Ferretti's call and wishing them luck.

Gerardo Martino was appointed as the new manager of the national team in January 2019 and did not call up Vela for his first friendlies in March, saying he wanted to see other players in action and that the door is not really closed on future call-ups, although it was uncertain if Vela wanted to continue his international career. Vela had not registered for the 2019 CONCACAF Gold Cup in May, according to a survey done in May. He said in November that if called up, he would return to the national team. He said in May 2020 that the 2018 World Cup was his last match with the national team.

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