Carlos Vela: Career, Clubs and Records
Golden Boot at 16, an Arsenal hat-trick on his first start, six years at Real Sociedad and an MLS record that still stands. Carlos Vela's clubs, numbers and records in one place.
Carlos Vela is a retired Mexican forward who played for Arsenal, Real Sociedad and Los Angeles FC, scored a Major League Soccer record 34 goals in 2019 and won 72 caps for Mexico. Born in Cancún on 1 March 1989, he won the Golden Boot as Mexico won the 2005 Under-17 World Cup, played at the 2010 and 2018 World Cups, and announced his retirement on 27 May 2025.
His career has two halves: a prodigy who signed for Arsenal at 16 and could not play for them for three years, and the face of a new MLS club who arrived before it had played a game and left as its record scorer.
At a glance
| Full name | Carlos Alberto Vela Garrido |
| Born | 1 March 1989, Cancún, Quintana Roo |
| Position | Forward, winger |
| Youth club | Chivas (Guadalajara) |
| Senior clubs | Arsenal, Salamanca, Osasuna, West Bromwich Albion, Real Sociedad, LAFC |
| Mexico | 72 caps, 19 goals |
| World Cups | 2010, 2018 |
| MLS record | 34 goals in the 2019 regular season |
| Retired | 27 May 2025, aged 36 |
Career timeline
| Years | Club or event | What happened |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | Mexico U17, Peru | Wins the Under-17 World Cup and the Golden Boot with five goals |
| 2005 | Arsenal | Signs from Chivas, aged 16 |
| 2006-07 | Salamanca (loan) | Eight goals in 31 league games in Spain's second tier |
| 2007-08 | Osasuna (loan) | Three goals in 33 La Liga games |
| 2008 | Arsenal | Hat-trick on his first start, 6-0 v Sheffield United |
| 2009 | Mexico | Scores in the 5-0 Gold Cup final win over the United States |
| 2010 | World Cup, South Africa | Starts at 21; injured against France |
| 2011 | West Brom (loan), then Real Sociedad (loan) | Two goals at West Brom; joins Real Sociedad in the summer |
| 2012-17 | Real Sociedad | Permanent move; 16 league goals in 2013-14 |
| 2018-23 | LAFC | First Designated Player in club history |
| 2018 | World Cup, Russia | Scores a penalty against South Korea |
| 2019 | LAFC | 34 MLS goals, MVP, Supporters' Shield |
| 2022 | LAFC | MLS Cup and a second Supporters' Shield |
| 2024 | LAFC | Re-signs in September; four minutes in his final game |
| 2025 | — | Retires on 27 May; becomes LAFC's first club ambassador |
Cancún, Chivas and the 2005 Under-17 World Cup
Vela learned the game from his father, Enrique, and joined his first team at four, according to MLS. He moved to the academy of Guadalajara's Chivas at 13.
His name went around the world in Peru in 2005. Mexico won the FIFA Under-17 World Championship, the country's first world title, beating Brazil 3-0 in the final, and Vela scored in that final. His five goals made him the tournament's top scorer and won him the Golden Boot.
Arsenal and the loans
Arsenal signed him before the end of 2005, when he was 16, and before he had made a professional debut in Mexico. The obstacle was paperwork: he did not qualify for a UK work permit, so he could not play in England.
Instead he went to Spain. A loan to Celta Vigo produced no appearances. Salamanca, in the second tier, gave him a season of senior football, and he scored eight times in 31 league games. "He had an enormous amount of innate ability, but above all, he was a boy who had a lot of confidence in himself," his coach there, Javi López, said. In 2007-08 he moved up to La Liga with Osasuna, playing 33 times and scoring three.
Once he had a work permit, his first Arsenal start could hardly have gone better. On 23 September 2008, in the League Cup third round, an Arsenal side with an average age of 19 beat Sheffield United 6-0, and Vela scored a hat-trick. Seven teenagers started, among them Jack Wilshere and Aaron Ramsey. Arsène Wenger summed up Vela's appeal: "He's so calm in front of goal and that always gives you a smile."
The breakthrough never came. Vela finished his first season with six goals in all competitions, scored two in 20 games in 2009-10, and in three seasons played 29 Premier League matches, with Robin van Persie and Theo Walcott ahead of him. By January 2011 he was on loan at West Bromwich Albion, where he scored twice.
Real Sociedad: the best years
Vela joined Real Sociedad on loan for 2011-12, scored 12 goals, was named the club's player of the year, and made the move permanent in 2012. He did not want to go back. "I don't want to return to Arsenal," he said at the time, quoted by Planet Football. "I have asked my agent to negotiate with Arsenal to stay here."
In San Sebastián he formed a partnership with a young Antoine Griezmann, and his peak came quickly. Real Sociedad qualified for the 2013-14 Champions League, their first appearance in the competition in ten years, and that season Vela scored 16 league goals in 37 games and 21 in 52 matches in all competitions. He was again the club's player of the year, and one of three finalists for La Liga's best forward award with Cristiano Ronaldo and Diego Costa.
By the time he left he had played more than 200 games for the club and scored 72 goals, according to LAFC. He later described his time there as "the best years of my life". His last goal for Real Sociedad came in a 3-1 win over Sevilla on 20 December 2017.
LAFC and the 34-goal season
In August 2017, LAFC announced Vela as the first Designated Player in its history, a signing made before the expansion club had played a match. He stayed at Real Sociedad until the end of the year and became an LAFC player on 1 January 2018. "It is very special for me to be the first Designated Player in LAFC history," he said.
His first season brought 14 goals and 11 assists in 29 appearances. His second rewrote the MLS record book.
| 2019 MLS season | |
|---|---|
| Regular-season goals | 34 (record; previous best 31, Josef Martínez, 2018) |
| Awards | Golden Boot, Landon Donovan MVP |
| MVP vote | 69.6% overall: 80.3% of players, 63.9% of media |
| Runner-up | Zlatan Ibrahimović, 14.1% |
| LAFC | Supporters' Shield; MLS records of 72 points, 85 goals, +48 goal difference |
He was the first Mexican to win the MVP award. After his first goal of that season he had said what he was aiming for: "I'm working to be the MVP of the league. If I want to do that, I have to show every game how good I am."
In the 2020 CONCACAF Champions League he scored against León, Cruz Azul and América, as LAFC became the first MLS side to beat three Mexican teams in one edition of the tournament. They lost the final to Tigres, but Vela was named in the team of the tournament.
The 2022 MLS Cup
LAFC won the Supporters' Shield again in 2022 and then their first MLS Cup, against Philadelphia Union at their own stadium on 5 November. Vela, the club's captain, delivered the corner from which Jesús David Murillo headed LAFC 2-1 up in the 83rd minute. Philadelphia equalised two minutes later, and Vela went off in the 97th minute, replaced by Gareth Bale. Bale's header in the eighth minute of extra-time stoppage time made it 3-3, and LAFC won the shootout 3-0. "For the first 10, 15 minutes, it was a Halloween movie," Vela told the AP. "And then we finish with a Hollywood movie."
The end at LAFC
He scored nine goals with 12 assists in 34 appearances in 2023, and his contract expired at the end of that year. Without a club since his contract expired in December 2023, he re-signed in September 2024 for the rest of the season, aged 35, with a club option for 2025. He played four more minutes, off the bench in a 2-1 playoff win over Vancouver Whitecaps on 27 October 2024, and was not re-signed for 2025.
His LAFC numbers, as AP reported on his retirement:
- Club records for goals (78), assists (59) and games played (152)
- The fastest player in MLS history to 75 goals and 50 assists
- The top Mexican goalscorer in MLS history
- Four All-Star selections and three MLS Best XI places
The kind of forward who could post those numbers from a wide starting position, rather than as a fixed No.9, is set out in the types of striker.
Mexico: 72 caps, two World Cups and a long absence
Vela won 72 caps and scored 19 goals for Mexico. His first international goal came in Los Angeles in October 2007, against Guatemala, and in the 2009 Gold Cup final at Giants Stadium he scored, made a goal and won a penalty in a 5-0 win over the United States.
At the 2010 World Cup he started at 21, but a hamstring injury ended his tournament about half an hour into the 2-0 win over France. Two months later his international career stalled. After a friendly against Colombia in September 2010, players held an all-night party at the team hotel; Vela and Efraín Juárez were banned for six months, and 11 other players were fined.
He played against Venezuela in February 2011 and then not again for almost four years, turning down several coaches' call-ups. He missed the 2012 Olympics, which Mexico won, and the 2014 World Cup. When he did return, in November 2014, he scored twice in a 3-2 win over the Netherlands in Amsterdam. He was part of the side that won the 2015 Gold Cup, although suspended for the final against Jamaica.
His second World Cup came in Russia in 2018. On 23 June he gave Mexico the lead against South Korea with a 26th-minute penalty after a handball, and they won 2-1. It was his only World Cup goal and the last World Cup of his international career: he declared himself retired from international football in 2020.
For how the 2026 World Cup was organised, see the 2026 World Cup format.
Retirement
Vela announced his retirement on Instagram on 27 May 2025, aged 36, writing that "the time has come to officially retire from professional soccer". LAFC named him its first Black & Gold Ambassador. "Helping to build LAFC and winning trophies for the club is a highlight of my career," Vela said.
At the time of the announcement, the club scheduled a Noche de Carlos Vela in his honour for 21 September 2025, against Real Salt Lake.
Honours
- FIFA Under-17 World Championship: 2005
- CONCACAF Gold Cup: 2009, 2015
- MLS Cup: 2022
- MLS Supporters' Shield: 2019, 2022
- MLS MVP and Golden Boot: 2019
- Under-17 World Championship Golden Boot: 2005
- Real Sociedad player of the year: 2011-12, 2013-14
- CONCACAF Champions League team of the tournament: 2020
Why he matters
Vela's career is often told as a story of what might have been, at Arsenal and with Mexico. The numbers say otherwise: a leading attacker in La Liga for a Champions League side, and an MLS scoring record set for a club he joined before it existed. For another player whose influence went beyond his trophy count, see our profile of Sócrates.
Frequently Asked Questions
What clubs did Carlos Vela play for?
After the Chivas academy in Guadalajara, Vela signed for Arsenal in 2005 and was loaned to Celta Vigo, Salamanca, Osasuna, West Bromwich Albion and Real Sociedad. He joined Real Sociedad permanently in 2012 and moved to Los Angeles FC on 1 January 2018, where he finished his career.
How many goals did Carlos Vela score in 2019?
34 in the MLS regular season, a league record that beat the 31 Josef Martínez scored in 2018. He won the Golden Boot and the MVP award, and LAFC won the Supporters' Shield with a record 72 points.
Is Carlos Vela retired?
Yes. He announced his retirement from professional football on 27 May 2025, aged 36, and became LAFC's first Black & Gold Ambassador. His last appearance was four minutes off the bench for LAFC against Vancouver on 27 October 2024.
How many caps did Carlos Vela win for Mexico?
72, scoring 19 goals. He played at the 2010 and 2018 World Cups, won the Gold Cup with Mexico and declared himself retired from international football in 2020.
Why did Carlos Vela miss the 2014 World Cup?
He turned down call-ups for several years after a six-month national team ban in 2010, which followed a party at the team hotel after a friendly against Colombia. He skipped the 2012 Olympics and the 2014 World Cup, and returned in November 2014.
Why did Carlos Vela not play for Arsenal straight away?
He signed for Arsenal at 16 in 2005 but did not qualify for a UK work permit, so he was loaned to Spanish clubs. His first start for Arsenal came in the League Cup on 23 September 2008, when he scored a hat-trick in a 6-0 win over Sheffield United.
What records does Carlos Vela hold in MLS?
He holds the MLS record for goals in a regular season (34, in 2019), was the fastest player in league history to 75 goals and 50 assists, is the league's top Mexican goalscorer, and is LAFC's all-time leader in goals, assists and games.
