page_title: Carlos Vela
section_title: Real Sociedad
hierarchical_section_title: Carlos Vela / Club career / Real Sociedad
caption_attribution_description: Català: Llevant-Erreala
context_page_description: Carlos Alberto Vela Garrido is a Mexican professional footballer who captains and plays as a winger for Major League Soccer club Los Angeles FC.
  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.
context_section_description: After making over 30 appearances in all competitions and scoring 12 goals, Vela was officially transferred to Real Sociedad from Arsenal on 17 July 2012, with the move believed to have cost €3 million. The deal was confirmed by Arsenal on 10 August. He was given the number 11 shirt. During the 2012–13 season, Vela played predominantly on the right wing and scored 14 goals, as well as having nine assists. There had been speculation in the media that he would return to Arsenal, however no talks took place between the two teams.
  Vela started the 2013–14 season, scoring once and assisting the other in the team's 2–0 win over Getafe. He scored twice, a header and a stoppage-time individual goal, to confirm Real Sociedad's progression to the group stages of the Champions League at Lyon's expense. On 23 November, he scored four goals in La Real's 4–3 win over Celta de Vigo.
  On 20 January 2014, it was announced that Vela had won La Liga Player of the Month for December after his performances against clubs such as Real Betis, Granada, Real Madrid, and Barcelona.
  On 5 May 2014, Vela scored in the 1–1 draw against Granada. The goal was Vela's 15th league strike of the season—surpassing his tally of 14 from the previous season—and his 20th in all competitions. He was nominated at the season's LFP Awards for the Best Forward in the league, losing out to Cristiano Ronaldo. On 24 June, Vela signed a four-year contract extension which will keep him at Real Sociedad until 2018.
  Vela scored his first goal of the 2014–15 season in Real Sociedad's 4–2 win against Real Madrid on 1 September 2014. On 28 November, he scored all of the side's goals as they beat Elche 3–0 for new manager David Moyes' first victory at the club. These were three of his four league goals that month, which once again earned him the La Liga's Player of the Month award.
  On 31 January 2015, during Real Sociedad's 1–4 league defeat to Real Madrid, Vela was subbed off in the 17th minute due to a knee injury, which was later reported to be ligament damage, and would require surgery. Though it was initially reported that Vela would miss the remainder of the season, it was confirmed through a club statement that the injury was an internal meniscus tear and that Vela would be out for two months. He made his return on 22 March against Córdoba, being substituted on for Esteban Granero in the 66th minute and providing an assist in Real Sociedad's 3–1 win.
  On 25 October 2015, Vela scored his first two goals of the 2015–16 season in Real Sociedad's 4–0 win over Levante.
  On 9 March 2016, it was reported that Vela had been separated from the first team after he failed to report for training two days earlier, claiming he was suffering from gastroenteritis, though a photo began circulating on social media of him attending a Chris Brown concert in Madrid hours after the team's 1–1 draw against Levante. He was ultimately fined by the club and ruled out for the team's next match against Celta de Vigo. Sociedad manager Eusebio Sacristán, however, named Vela in the squad for the match against Celta, appearing as a second-half substitute in the 0–1 loss.
  On 10 April 2017, Vela played in his 200th league match for Real Sociedad in the side's 3–1 victory against Sporting de Gijón, as well as becoming the foreign player with the second-most appearances for the club behind Darko Kovačević.
  On 8 August 2017, Real Sociedad announced an agreement with Major League Soccer for Vela to move to the league in 2018. Two days later, it was announced that he would join expansion team Los Angeles FC as their first Designated Player when the transfer window opens on 1 January 2018.
  On 20 December 2017, Vela played in his final match for Real Sociedad, scoring the final goal in the team's 3–1 win over Sevilla.
caption: Vela shooting against Levante goalkeeper Gustavo Munúa (September 2012).
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