Carlos Vela’s return to the Los Angeles Football Club is official.
LAFC announced the free agent signing of the 35-year-old Mexican star on Monday through the end of this season with a club option for 2025.
“Los Angeles and the LAFC fans are very important to me and my family,” Vela said in a statement. “LAFC is a special club, and I am proud of what we have built here. I am excited to return to LAFC and try to help the team achieve great things in any way that I can.”
Since joining LAFC as its first Designated Player in 2017, Vela served as the face of the club, captaining the Black & Gold until the end of the 2023 season.
Standing as LAFC’s all-time leader in games played, goals and assists, Vela is a four-time MLS All-Star, the 2019 league MVP, and was critical in helping the club win two Supporters’ Shields as well as the MLS Cup in 2022.
A native of Cancun, Vela is one of 13 players in MLS history to record at least 75 goals and 50 assists, becoming the first to do so within six seasons. In 2019, the leading Mexican scorer in MLS history set a single-season record in goals as well as combined scoring, tallying 34 finishes and 15 assists.
Last year, Vela appeared in a career-high 34 regular season MLS matches, playing in 48 of LAFC’s 53 contests in all competitions. He connected on 14 goals and 12 assists before taking an eight-month leave of absence as an unsigned free agent.
Vela was reportedly close to signing with the San Jose Earthquakes in March, but ultimately chose to bide his time before rejoining LAFC, which has seven regular season matches as well as the final of the U.S. Open Cup remaining on its current schedule before the playoffs begin in October.
“Carlos is important to the entire LAFC community,” the club’s lead managing owner, Bennett Rosenthal, said in a statement announcing the deal, which was finalized Friday to coincide with the MLS 30-man roster freeze date. “We simply would not be who we are without him. On behalf of our ownership group, I am honored to welcome Carlos and his family back to LAFC.”
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