MLS
Everything we know about Carlos Vela’s LAFC return: Debut date, salary, contract length
The Mexican star left the club at the end of 2023 but makes a sensational return to BMO Field as LAFC prepare for another assault on MLS Cup.
Nine months on from LAFC’s painful defeat in the 2023 MLS Cup, Carlos Vela is back in Black and Gold. The Mexican star was officially unveiled at a re-introductory press conference on Wednesday.
The 35-year-old revealed why he had decided to renew terms with the club: “I was missing something. In the end, it was about having a good end, knowing it’s the end of your career.”
“That’s why we are back here and I hope I can enjoy if it’s one, two, three games – I don’t know how my body will respond. But I will enjoy being with my teammates, trying to have fun.”
Vela’s future had been up in the air since the expiration of his previous LAFC contract at the end of 2023. Despite initial confidence about agreeing an extension, talks seemed to drift as MLS returned in February. The mid-season arrival of Olivier Giroud - adding further options to a frontline that includes Denis Bouanga, Mateusz Bogusz, Cristian Olivera and Kei Kamara - seemed to extinguish all hope of Vela’s return.
Speaking on Wednesday, however, Vela revealed that he still has ambitions in MLS: “I don’t come just for vacation... I want to finish my career playing as best as I can.”
When does Carlos Vela’s LAFC contract end?
When LAFC was founded in 2014 the team were eager to bring in a well-known player to lead the project. As such, Mexican international Carlos Vela became the club’s first Designated Player in August 2017, joining seven months before the start of the team’s maiden MLS campaign.
He spent six years at BMO Stadium during his first stint. His second spell will be considerably shorter, but could still see him remain in Black and Gold until the end of the 2025 season.
Carlos Vela’s new deal keeps him at LAFC through 2024, with a club option for 2025.
What is Carlos Vela’s salary at LAFC?
After years of stellar performances - winning the MLS Golden Boot and MVP award in 2019 - Vela was the club’s highest-paid player when his previous contract expired in 2023. The Mexican DP deal had a guaranteed compensation of $4,383,900.
With LAFC looking to reduce the aging star’s salary, the two parties couldn’t find an agreement to extend his contract. His new salary has not yet been made public but it’s fair to assume that it’s a considerable drop on his previous contract. Vela has not been registered as a Designated Player for his second coming, meaning that his annual salary will not exceed $683,750.
In theory, LAFC could take advantage of the ‘buy down’ process to convert a proportion of Vela’s salary into a signing bonus. However that option seems extremely unlikely given his late appearance in the season and Vela’s remarks about the initial terms offered at his press conference on Wednesday.
“In my case, I don’t like at all what happened in that time and I decided not to accept it,” Vela said of the initial offers from the club earlier in 2024. “Simple as that because it’s sport, it’s business and we have to do what we have to do.”
When will Carlos Vela make his debut for LAFC?
Technically, Vela made his debut in the team’s first-ever MLS fixtures back in March 2018, providing the assist for Diego Rossi in a 1-0 win over the Seattle Sounders.
However his second debut is still to come. Vela is now included on the LAFC roster and is, in theory, able to play against FC Dallas this weekend. However after nine months away from the game he acknowledged that he will need some time to return to contention.
Speaking on Wednesday, Vela refused to put a date on his return but it’s fair to assume that he will be aiming to get back to full fitness in time for LAFC’s tilt at MLS Cup. For Vela, silverware is the sole focus.
“If we can win some trophy, it will be amazing for the end of this long period of my life and close it in that way. That’s why I’m here and that’s why I’m trying to do my best to be the best as possible.”