Carlos Alberto Vela, born on March 1, 1989 in Cancun, Quintana Roo, Mexico is a football player. He is predominantly a striker and plays for the Mexico national football team. He is the younger brother of Alejandro Vela, who is also a footballer. Currently, he lives in London, England and is popularly known as “Carlitos” in the football circuit.
Carlos Alberto Vela had his major breakthrough in his career when he participated in the 2005 International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) Under-17 World Championships. He was the prominent player in the final match against Brazil and was instrumental in helping Mexico win the Cup. Despite the tough competition that existed in the tournament, Carlos Alberto Vela made five spectacular goals, and went on to bag the tournament’s Golden Boot to present it as a birthday gift to his father. This win was very important for Mexico as it was their first international title and it also demonstrated the ability of Carlos Alberto Vela. In 2007, he was selected for the Mexico national football team and as of 2008 he has made 8 international appearances.
Carlos Alberto Vela started his career along with his brother with Chivas de Guadalajara, a Mexican association football team. Jorge Vergara, owner and president of Chivas de Guadalajara, signed him due to his impressive performance in the 2005 FIFA Under-17 World Championships.
Arsenal (Football Club) F.C soon sensed the potential of Carlos Alberto Vela and signed him in November 2005. Although he was signed, his career as an Arsenal striker started only 18 months later. He was initially loaned out to Celta de Vigo, a Spanish football team and after his brief period with Salamanca, he went on to join Osasuna, another Spanish football club. His short stint with Osasuna was vital in helping the team to get away from demotion. Later, he joined back Arsenal as first-team squad. Carlos made an instant impact with Arsenal, netting four times in two games during pre-season.
Carlos Alberto Vela made his Arsenal debut on July 22, 2008 in a pre-season friendly match in Hungary against Szombathelyi Haladas. On July 28, 2008, in his very next friendly match for Arsenal, he made a stunning hat-trick. He was a part of the Arsenal team which played against Burgenland XI and contributed to the dominating 10-2 win. The next match in Stuggart also saw Carlos Alberto Vela score a goal and once again he proved his ability as a commanding striker. The season came to an end with a goal by Carlos Alberto Vela in the match against Sevilla, eventually helping Arsenal to win the 2008 Amsterdam Tournament.
As of 2008, Carlos Alberto Vela has appeared in 65 matches and made 11 goals.
