IT’S happened again Arsenal fans…as former Gunners star Carlos Vela created MLS history as he beat legend Zlatan Ibrahimovic to win the Golden Boot award.
Less than a week after Arsenal reject Serge Gnabry destroyed their hated North London rivals Spurs, with four goals in the Champions League for Bayern Munich, now Vela has come up trumps.
Vela, bombed out by former boss Arsene Wenger to Real Sociedad for £7.2million in 2012, has become a huge star in the United States’ Major League Soccer at Los Angeles FC.
And now the Mexican has shattered the MLS scoring record to win the Golden Boot ahead of Swedish former Manchester United and Barcelona star Ibrahimovic, who plays for LA’s neighbours LA Galaxy.
Vela scored 34 goals in the MLS this season.
He bagged a hat-trick in his side’s 3-1 win over Colorado Rapids to move three ahead of Josef Martinez’s MLS record for goals in one season.
He now has an astonishing 48 goals in 57 starts for the American side.
But Arsenal have history when it comes to giving away top talent, deeming them surplus to requirements.
Only last month Donyell Malen made headlines when he scored the winner for Holland against Germany.
Malen came through the Gunners Academy but was sold to PSV Eindhoven for a small undisclosed fee after failing to make an impact on the first team.
He is now said to be worth £50m.
Elsewhere, Jeff Reine-Adelaide was sold to Angers last year and after impressing in his first full season with the club, he was bought by Lyon this summer for £23million.
Ismael Bennacer is another player that was with Arsenal for two years before heading to mainland Europe.
He is now an AC Milan player after the Italian giants paid Empoli £14.4m for the Algerian.
And Vela now will once again have Arsenal fans tearing their hair out.
He scored three goals in 29 Premier League appearances for Arsenal in nearly six years – 26 of them as a substitute.
Ibrahimovic has got 30 goals this term.
Sold by Sociedad to Los Angeles in 2018, Vela struck 14 goals in 29 appearances last season but more than doubled that tally this year, helping Los Angeles win the Supporters’ Shield.
The Mexican is looking for more silverware now, having steered Los Angeles into the Final series.
They finished a whopping 16 points ahead of Seattle Sounders in the Western Conference.
And it has left Gunners fans asking why he was allowed to leave for so little.
