CARLOS VELA

Carlos Alberto Vela Garrido was born on 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, a former semi-professional footballer whose career ended with a torn ligament, enrolled his son in local teams. Vela’s first club was Ko Cha Wolis, meaning “Kicking Round Ball” in Mayan, where his coach Félix Alcalá noted significant early development. At 12, he chose football over basketball, and in 2001 Guadalajara scouts spotted him in Cancún. He joined the club’s youth system in 2003.

His breakthrough came at the 2005 FIFA U-17 World Championship, where he finished as the top scorer and attracted Europe’s attention, leading to a move to Premier League club Arsenal that year. Loan spells followed at Salamanca, Osasuna, and West Bromwich Albion before he joined Real Sociedad in 2011, initially on loan and then permanently the following season. Across six years with La Real, he played 250 matches and scored 73 goals, becoming widely regarded as one of the best foreign players ever to represent the Basque club.

In January 2018, Vela joined Los Angeles FC, where his second year brought the Supporters’ Shield, the MLS Golden Boot, and a league-record 34 goals in a single season, plus Most Valuable Player honors. He added a second Supporters’ Shield and the MLS Cup in 2022 before announcing his retirement in 2025.

For Mexico, he debuted in 2007 against Brazil, won the 2009 CONCACAF Gold Cup, and played at the 2010 and 2018 FIFA World Cups and the 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup, returning to the national team in November 2014 after more than three years of declining call-ups.