Carlos Vela

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Personal information
Carlos Vela
Full name	Carlos Alberto Vela Garrido
Date of birth	March 1, 1989 (age 17)
Place of birth	Cancun , Quintana Roo, Mexico
Height	1.75m (5'9")
Position	Centre Forward
Club information
Current club	UD Salamanca (on loan from Arsenal)
Professional clubs*
Years	Club	Apps (goals)
2006-	UD Salamanca (loan)	10 (6)
* Professional club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of unknown.

Carlos Alberto Vela Garrido (born March 1, 1989 in Cancún, Quintana Roo) is a Mexican football striker who currently plays for UD Salamanca on loan from Arsenal.

Before moving to Europe, Vela's career started with Guadalajara. Even though he had not made his debut on Chivas' first division team, his big break came when he participated in the U-17 World Cup with the Mexican national team. Vela helped the Mexican team take the 2005 U-17 World Cup against other promising teams, including Brazil. He became a pivotal figure during the match against Brazil, by defeating the South American team 3-0 during the tournament's final. Along the conclusion of the 2005 World Cup in Peru, Vela was named the top scorer of the tournament with 5 goals and claimed the Adidas Golden Boot.

Following his strong presence at the championship, Vela attracted interest from a number of European clubs, but it was Arsenal who won the race for his signature in November 2005, and he signed a five-year deal. However, due to English Premier League work permit restrictions for non-EU players, he will not be able to make his debut in England until 2007 and was loaned to Celta de Vigo immediately upon his arrival at Arsenal.^[1] However, in summer 2006 Celta found themselves unable to keep him, having signed too many players from outside the European Union. Vela was reloaned to UD Salamanca for the start of the 2006-07 season;^[2]^[3] he has scored six goals in his first ten appearances.^{[citation needed]}

He is the brother of Alejandro Vela.