Vela officially retired from professional soccer on May 27, 2025, at the age of 36, and his impact on Los Angeles Football Club remains unmatched. On Sunday night, ahead of LAFC’s MLS Week 35 clash against Real Salt Lake, he got a fitting celebration for his successes with the club.
Every seat in the stadium was draped with black-and-gold shirts bearing Vela’s name and his iconic No. 10, and the atmosphere peaked when the 3252 supporters’ group unveiled a giant tifo of Vela’s image alongside a bold message of gratitude, while chants of “Carlos Vela!” echoed throughout BMO Stadium.
One of the evening’s most memorable moments came when Vela shared a warm embrace and a few words with LAFC’s newest marquee signing, Son Heung-Min. The South Korean forward, who had praised Vela days earlier, once again showed his admiration after their meeting.
Vela’s résumé with LAFC speaks for itself. He was the league’s MVP and Golden Boot winner in 2019 after scoring a record-breaking 34 goals in a single season. He earned four MLS All-Star selections (2018, 2019, 2021, 2022) and three Best XI nods, while guiding the club to the 2022 MLS Cup, two Supporters’ Shields (2019, 2022), and back-to-back appearances in the Concacaf Champions League final (2020, 2023). He remains LAFC’s all-time leader in matches played, minutes, goals, and assists - and is the only MLS player to reach 75 goals and 50 assists in just six seasons.
Prior to joining MLS, Vela made his mark in Europe as well. A former Chivas academy product, Vela went on to Arsenal before eventually turning into a star with La Liga's Real Sociedad - where he scored 54 goals. He also scored 19 goals in 72 appearances for El Tri.
The night concluded with a fitting victory for the Black & Gold. After Brayan Vera opened the scoring for RSL in the 14th minute, Denis Bouanga equalized just before halftime. Son quickly put LAFC in front with a strike in the 48th minute before Bouanga completed his hat-trick with goals in the second half, sealing a 4-1 win that lifted LAFC to fourth place in the Western Conference with two games in hand.
