Carlos Vela

Guadalajara

Vela's career started with Guadalajara, alongside his brother Alejandro. After winning the 2005 FIFA U-17 World Championship with Mexico and finishing as the top scorer with five goals, Jorge Vergara, owner and club president of Guadalajara, agreed to sign him. Since Vela's family lived in the then-recently-storm-stricken Cancún, he asked that the club help relocate them as a condition of his signing. Vela had previously shown his great affection to his father, whose birthday fell on the day on which Mexico beat Brazil in the final of the U-17 World Cup, by carrying the cup to his father and dedicating his Golden Boot to him.

Arsenal

Vela attracted interest from a number of European clubs, and eventually Arsenal won the race for his signature in November 2005 on a five-year deal for a £125,000 fee that rose to £550,000 after he played 50 first-team games. However, since English work permit restrictions for non-EU citizens prevented him from playing in England, Arsenal quickly loaned him out to Spanish club Celta Vigo in February 2006, but he was returned right away with no games played.

Salamanca and Osasuna loans

At the end of the season, Vela was sent to Spanish Segunda División club Salamanca, on loan for the 2006–07 season. He had a successful stay there, creating many of Salamanca's 53 goals, eight of which he scored himself. After his loan spell with Salamanca ended, bigger clubs of La Liga, such as Levante, Osasuna, and…

Youth

Vela played in the 2005 FIFA U-17 World Championship, held in Peru, where he helped Mexico to victory. He went on to score three goals in the group stage, one against Uruguay in a 2–0 win and two against Australia in a 3–0 win. He also scored Mexico's final goal in a 3–1 victory against Costa Rica during extra time in the quarterfinals, and having reached the final against Brazil, he scored Mexico's first goal in their 3–0 victory. He subsequently finished as top scorer with five goals, claiming the Golden Boot. Vela was part of the under-20 team that participated at the 2007 FIFA U-20 World Cup.

Senior

Early years

During his stay at Osasuna, Vela made his international debut for the senior national team on 12 September 2007, in a friendly match against Brazil, losing 3–1. On 18 October 2007, he scored his first senior international goal for Mexico in a friendly against Guatemala in Los Angeles. On 8 June 2008, Vela scored his second senior international goal in a friendly against Peru in the 20th minute to help Mexico to a 4–0 victory. A match later for Mexico, he scored in their 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifying opener against Belize making the match 1–0. In the return leg against Belize, he again scored the opening goal of the match and beginning the 7–0 rout in favour of El Tri. In July 2009, Vela represented Mexico at the 2009 CONCACAF Gold Cup. He started in Mexico's opener against Nicaragua. Five minutes into the match, an opposing…

Regarded as a promising player in his youth, gifted with skill and natural flair, former Arsenal manager Arsène Wenger described Vela as a player who was "...naturally gifted, quick, intelligent and with very good technique". He also labelled him as a "special talent", stating "I like [Vela's] intelligence and his pace. He scores goals but he can also create them." Vela's playing style was described as being able to "beat his man off the dribble," and "his linking up with teammates presents danger. [Looking through his first season] shows his willingness to work combinations across the entire attacking third of the pitch." A left-footed player, Vela was known for his speed, technique, and vision. Collin Carpio has noted that while Vela was typically deployed on the right wing, he could also play as a striker, commenting in 2016: "[w]hen he's in-form, the 27-year-old can be lethal cutting inside from the flanks, and he's proven that he can set up [sic] goals for his teammates." Vela was also known for scoring chipped goals.

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.