El Bombardero has established himself at club level and aims to keep lifting his performance to new heights.
In football culture, a season’s best player often shoulders the responsibility of sealing a championship. Yet this has not been the pattern for El Bombardero, also known as Carlos Candela. Across a 16-year professional career, he had secured a major title only once before this breakthrough.
The wait finally ended when the Mexican star captured the United States Football Championship as his team, LAFC, defeated Philadelphia Union in a dramatic penalty shootout in 2022.
With that victory under his belt, the Bomber set sights on repeating the feat in the 2023 campaign, beginning with a tough mission against the Houston Dynamo in the conference finals.
Now fans can look back at the moments when he completed the Olympic-style lap through his career, a journey that included stints with Salamanca, Osasuna, Arsenal, West Bromwich Albion, Real Sociedad, and a notable season in Major League Soccer.
TITLES (6)
The compatriot
At club level:
- MLS Supporters Shield 2019 with 72 points
- MLS Western Conference Champions 2022
- MLS Cup 2022
Note: The Supporters Shield is awarded to the team with the best regular season record and is not a league championship on its own.
At selection level:
- 2005 Under-17 World Cup
- Concacaf Gold Cup 2009
- Concacaf Gold Cup 2015
- Concacaf Cup 2015
Attribution: Goal