Carlos Vela Officially Announces Retirement at 36 | OneFootball

Carlos Vela, one of the most talented players to ever come out of Mexico, officially announced his retirement from soccer at 36-years-old, having been without a club for the entirety of 2025.

After a 10-month absence from the pitch, Vela returned to action with LAFC for a brief stint near the end of the 2024 MLS season. Vela played four minutes in LAFC's 2–1 win vs. Vancouver Whitecaps on Oct. 27, 2024, the last time he took the field in his professional career.

Six months later, the Cancún, Mexico native took to social media to announce his playing days are over.

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“Throughout my career, I've lied very special moments, but the time has come to officially retire from professional soccer. There's not enough words to express how thankful I am for my family, the clubs that gave me an opportunity and the fans for their support and love. It's been an honor and a privilege to share my career with all of you. Thank you,” Vela wrote in his retirement announcement.

Few careers evoke so many contrasting emotions like Vela's. For LAFC, Vela is an almost god-like figure. He leads the club in appearances (152), minutes played (11,194), goals (78) and assists (59). He lifted two Supporters' Shield trophies and the club's only MLS Cup in 2022. He also won MLS MVP in 2019, the season where he set the record for most goals in a single season with 34. Simply put, he's one of the greatest MLS players of all time.

Vela is just as adored in San Sebastián, Spain, where he spent the prime of his career in Europe with Real Sociedad. He was instrumental in returning Real Sociedad to the Champions League after a 10-year absence in 2013–14. That same season, with 16 goals and 12 assists, there's an argument to be made that Vela was the best player in La Liga outside of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.

But in Mexico, expectations were set impossibly high for Vela from an early age after he was a key piece in Mexico's 2005 U-17 World Cup winning side, scoring a goal in the final. His performances led to Arsenal signing him before he even made his professional debut in Mexico.

Carlos Vela scored five goals and won the golden boot in Mexico's U-17 World Cup winning-run in 2005. / ALEJANDRA BRUN/AFP via Getty Images

Those expectations never materialized with Mexico's senior national team. Vela became the star that refused to shine for El Tri, with a career best remembered for what could've been. Vela voluntarily refused to represent Mexico on multiple occasions, including the 2014 FIFA World Cup, when he was at the peak of his powers with Real Sociedad.

The failure to meet those lofty expectations is, perhaps, exactly what Vela wanted. His constant refusal to play for El Tri was, in many ways, a sign of rebellion against an industry that pressured him to be a perfect player ever since he was a teenager. Many believe Vela was never in love with the sport since he admitted that he'd much rather watch the NBA than soccer.

He eventually returned and played in his second World Cup in 2018, showing glimpses of his quality before officially retiring from El Tri with 72 caps and 19 goals. That same year, he put an end to his European soccer career at only 28-years-old.

In many ways, Vela's talent with the ball at his feet can only be matched by his desire of doing things his way. He could've returned to Mexico for a final swan song in Liga MX, but reports eventually came out saying Vela would rather retire than play in Mexico.

It's fitting that Vela's final stop is LAFC, the club where he was loved the most. The team already announced it'll hold Carlos Vela Night on Sept. 21, when they host Real Salt Lake at BMO Stadium. Fans will get a chance to bid farewell to their club legend before he becomes the first team ambassador in LAFC's history.

It's the end of the journey for Vela, a player that never became everything he could've been, but did become everything he wanted to be.