Until the 2005-06 season, teams in England's Premier League, home to some of the world's most competitive soccer, had never had a Mexican player signed to play. That changed with the signing to Arsenal of Carlos Vela, a forward born in Cancun, and countryman Jared Borghetti, who played with Bolton Wanderers.
Early Success
In 2005, at the age of 16, Vela won the Golden Boot award for the most goals at the FIFA U17 World Cup. Nicknamed Koala by his teammates, Vela, already a professional at Chivas de Guadelajara, joined a cadre of players that came to be called "the golden generation" to lead Mexico to the win. His play earned him a contract worth £125,000, or about $240,000 based on the 2005 exchange rate, with Arsenal.
Spanish Leagues
The London club could not secure a work permit right away for Vela, so he played for Spanish clubs instead from 2006 through the spring of 2008. He started with Celta Vigo in the first division La Liga but did not see any playing time. At Salamanca, in Spain's second division, he started eight games and was promoted back to Osasuna, also in La Liga, where he started in 21 games and scored three goals, ESPN SoccerNet reports.
At Arsenal
Vela arrived at Arsenal at the beginning of the 2008-09 season and scored three goals in his first full game, yet only six over the season. He told Sports Illustrated the level of play was very challenging but that Mexicans could succeed and noted that by this time, his fellow "golden generation" teammate Giovani dos Santos played for Tottenham Hotspur. Restricted by injuries, Vela had a limited impact in the 2009-10 season, starting six games, substituting in 14 and scoring two goals. He played with Arsenal at the start of the 2010-11 season, appearing in 13 games, and in January was loaned for the rest of the year to West Bromwich Albion, where he started three games and scored two goals.
Analysis
ESPN SoccerNet terms Vela, who stands 5 feet, 10 inches tall and weighs 150 pounds, a confident and composed forward yet also prone to missing chances to score, who needs to impose himself more on games. The pair of Vela and Borghetti paved the way for the arrival of the most successful Mexican soccer player of all in the English Premier League: Javier Hernandez, nicknamed Chicharito or "little pea," who in 2010-11 become Manchester United's first Mexican player and scored 20 goals in his first season. Vela also represented Mexico in the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, playing in games against France and South Africa and helping Mexico advance into the second round.
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