Carles Gil

Club career

Valencia

Born in Valencia, Valencian Community, Gil was a product of Valencia CF's youth system, having joined the club at the age of five. He made his senior debut at only 17 with the reserves by playing one game in the Segunda División B, being brought to the main squad for the 2010, 2011 and 2012 pre-seasons and scoring the third goal in the latter against SV Rödinghausen (4–0 away win). Shortly after, he earned a professional contract until 2016.

Gil was loaned to neighbouring Elche CF for the 2012–13 campaign. He first played in the Segunda División on 19 August 2012, starting in a home game against SD Ponferradina and netting in an eventual 4–2 win. He scored in the following match, a 2–1 victory at Hércules CF.

After being a very important attacking unit as the club returned to La Liga after nearly 25 years, Gil remained with Elche for 2013–14, still owned by Valencia. He made his debut in the competition on 19 August 2013, in a 3–0 loss at Rayo Vallecano.

Gil scored his first goal in the top flight on 1 March 2014, the only in the home win over RC Celta de Vigo. He subsequently returned to the Mestalla Stadium, making his league debut on 29 August in a 3–0 home defeat of Málaga CF.

Gil scored his only competitive goal for Valencia on 28 September 2014, contributing to a 1–1 away draw against Real Sociedad in the domestic league.

Aston Villa

Gil joined Premier League side Aston Villa on 13 January 2015 for a fee in the region of £3.2 million, signing a four-and-a-half-year deal and receiving the number 25 jersey. He made his debut four days later, as a 59th-minute substitute for Ashley Westwood in a 0–2 home loss to Liverpool; despite the result, manager Paul Lambert described his performance as "as good a debut as I've seen".

Gil made his first start on 25 January 2015 in an FA Cup tie against Bournemouth, scoring from the edge of the box to open a 2–1 victory. Thirteen days later he contributed his first assist for the Villans, allowing Jores Okore to score through a close-range header in a 1–2 home defeat to Chelsea.

Gil netted for the first time in the league on 13 September 2015, putting his team 2–0 up in an eventual 3–2 loss at Leicester City. The following 2 January, away to Sunderland, he equalised with an aerial volley from compatriot Adama Traoré's cross, but in a 3–1 defeat against their relegation rivals.

Deportivo

On 20 July 2016, Gil returned to his homeland's top flight, being loaned to Deportivo de La Coruña with an option to buy. The following 12 July the move was extended for a further season, with an obligatory buyout clause included. His team was eventually relegated, and he played only six minutes after the appointment of new coach Clarence Seedorf.

New England Revolution

On 30 January 2019, Gil joined the New England Revolution as a Designated Player on a multi-year contract, for a club record transfer fee of $2 million. He scored on his Major League Soccer debut on 2 March, the equaliser in a 1–1 draw at FC Dallas.

Gil eventually became the Revs' captain and finished his first season with ten goals and 14 assists, leading the side in scoring as they made their first playoff appearance since 2015. His play earned him several awards, including: MLS Newcomer of the Year, Midnight Riders Man of the Year, Revolution Team Most Valuable Player, Revolution Players' Player of the year and 2019 MLS Best XI.

In the 2020 campaign, Gil played only 152 minutes by late October because of injuries. He returned in time for the playoffs, scoring in wins over the Montreal Impact and Orlando City SC. Having also assisted three goals in post-season, his contract option for the following year was exercised.

Gil agreed to a further extension on 24 May 2021, until 2024; the deal increased his salary from $2.7 million to put him in the top 10 of the league's earners. In that season, he helped the Massachusetts side to the first Supporters' Shield in their 26-year history, with three games to spare. He finished as the assist leader with 18, winning the MLS Comeback Player of the Year Award while the team set a new points record with 73. He was named MLS Best XI and Revolution Team Most Valuable Player for a second time, MLS Player of the Month for June and MLS Player of the Week for matchweek 9. On 7 December, he was named the league's Most Valuable Player.

On 31 May 2023, Gil scored the second-fastest goal in Revolution history in the 3–3 draw against Atlanta United FC. He was added to the roster for that year's MLS All-Star Game by coach Wayne Rooney. He won the Revolution Golden Boot for the second time, scoring 11 goals and recording 15 assists, also being named Players' Player of the Year for a third time and MLS Player of the Week for matchweek 16.

In March 2024, Gil agreed to an extension through 2026, with a one-year option. He was included in the MLS Team for weeks 31 and 33. In October, he was named his team's most valuable player for a club-record fourth time.

On 19 April 2025, in a 2–0 home victory over New York City, Gil set the all-time assists record for the Revolution with 74, surpassing Steve Ralston's tally. He broke Taylor Twellman's goal contributions record on 9 August, recording two assists in the 2–0 defeat of D.C. United to reach 130.

International career

On 30 August 2013, Julen Lopetegui named Gil in the Spanish under-21 squad for 2015 UEFA European Under-21 Championship qualifiers against Austria and Albania. He made his debut against the latter on 9 September, coming on as a second-half substitute and providing an assist for Jesé's final goal in a 4–0 win in Logroño.

Personal life

Gil's younger brother, Ignacio, is also a footballer and an attacking midfielder. He also came through at Valencia, and the pair were teammates at New England.

Gil is married to María. He missed his sibling's MLS debut in September 2022 due to the birth of his first child, Marco.

Career statistics

|La Liga |8||1||3||0||colspan="2"|—||colspan="2"|—||colspan="2"|—||11||1 |- |2012–13 |Segunda División |31||4||2||0||colspan="2"|—||colspan="2"|—||colspan="2"|—||33||4 |- |2013–14 |La Liga |33||1||0||0||colspan="2"|—||colspan="2"|—||colspan="2"|—||33||1 |- !colspan="2"|Total !64!!5!!2!!0!!0!!0!!0!!0!!0!!0!!66!!5 |- |2014–15 |5||0||2||1||0||0||colspan="2"|—||colspan="2"|—||7||1 |- |2015–16 |23||2||3||0||1||0||colspan="2"|—||colspan="2"|—||27||2 |- |2016–17 |Championship |0||0||0||0||0||0||colspan="2"|—||colspan="2"|—||0||0 |- !colspan="2"|Total !28!!2!!5!!1!!1!!0!!0!!0!!0!!0!!34!!3 |- |2016–17 |23||1||1||0||colspan="2"|—||colspan="2"|—||colspan="2"|—||24||1 |- |2017–18 |10||0||1||0||colspan="2"|—||colspan="2"|—||colspan="2"|—||11||0 |- !colspan="2"|Total !33!!1!!2!!0!!0!!0!!0!!0!!0!!0!!45!!1 |- |Deportivo La Coruña |2018–19 |Segunda División |18||0||1||0||colspan="2"|—||colspan="2"|—||colspan="2"|—||19||0 |- |2019 |34||10||1||0||colspan="2"|—||colspan="2"|—||1||0||36||10 |- |2020 |6||0||colspan="2"|—||colspan="2"|—||colspan="2"|—||4||2||10||2 |- |2021 |28||4||colspan="2"|—||colspan="2"|—||colspan="2"|—||1||0||29||4 |- |2022 |33||7||1||3||colspan="2"|—||2||0||colspan="2"|—||36||10 |- |2023 |32||11||2||0||colspan="2"|—||colspan="2"|—||5||0||39||11 |- |2024 |26||7||colspan="2"|—||colspan="2"|—||4||0||0||0||30||7 |- |2025 |34||10||0||0||colspan="2"|—||colspan="2"|—||colspan="2"|—||34||10 |- !colspan="2"|Total !193!!49!!4!!3!!0!!0!!6!!0!!11!!2!!214!!54 |- !colspan="3"|Career total !344!!58!!17!!4!!1!!0!!6!!0!!11!!2!!379!!64 |}

Honours

Elche

• Segunda División: 2012–13

New England Revolution

• Supporters' Shield: 2021

Individual

• Landon Donovan MVP Award: 2021
• MLS Newcomer of the Year Award: 2019
• MLS Best XI: 2019, 2021
• MLS Player of the Month: June 2021
• MLS Comeback Player of the Year Award: 2021
• MLS All-Star Game: 2022, 2023, 2025
• Major League Soccer top assist provider: 2021
• New England Revolution MVP: 2019, 2021, 2023, 2024
• Midnight Riders Man of the Year: 2019, 2021

References

References

1. (8 August 2015). "Player shirt numbers for 20 Barclays Premier League clubs released". [[Premier League]].
2. "Carles Gil: Overview". Premier League.
3. (13 January 2015). "Carles Gil says he's a little sad over Aston Villa transfer, but it's not their fault". Sporting Witness.
4. (22 July 2012). "0–4: El Valencia no se despeina ante el Rödinghausen". [[Mundo Deportivo]].
5. (26 May 2012). "El Valencia CF blinda a Carles Gil". [[Super Deporte]].
6. (7 August 2012). "Carles Gil se suma al proyecto del Elche". Elche CF.
7. (19 August 2012). "La pegada del Elche castiga a la Ponferradina". [[Marca (newspaper).
8. (26 August 2012). "1–2: El Elche gana el derbi y se pone líder". Mundo Deportivo.
9. (10 July 2013). "El Valencia confirma el acuerdo de cesión de Carles Gil al Elche". Marca.
10. (19 August 2013). "Rayo up and running". [[ESPN FC]].
11. (1 March 2014). "Elche 1–0 Celta Vigo: Carles Gil claims Elche the points from the bench". Inside Spanish Football.
12. Bengoa, Javier. (30 August 2014). "El Valencia se acuesta líder". Super Deporte.
13. Bengoa, Javier. (29 September 2014). "El Valencia sufre y suma en Anoeta ante la Real Sociedad". Super Deporte.
14. (18 June 2022). "Carles Gil sigue siendo estrella y marcando golazos en la MLS". El Desmarque.
15. (13 January 2015). "Breaking news: Midfielder Carles Gil signs for Villa". Aston Villa F.C..
16. (13 January 2015). "Aston Villa: Carles Gil joins from Valencia for £3.2m". [[BBC Sport]].
17. Evans, Gregg. (17 January 2015). "Aston Villa: Carles Gil's cameo was "as good a debut as I've seen" says Paul Lambert". [[Birmingham Mail]].
18. McNulty, Phil. (25 January 2015). "Aston Villa 2–1 AFC Bournemouth". BBC Sport.
19. Bevan, Chris. (7 February 2015). "Aston Villa 1–2 Chelsea". BBC Sport.
20. Cryer, Andy. (13 September 2015). "Leicester City 3–2 Aston Villa". BBC Sport.
21. Young, Chris. (2 January 2016). "Sunderland 3 Aston Villa 1: Jermain Defoe double secures priceless win". [[Sunderland Echo]].
22. Yordi, Juan. (20 July 2016). "Carles Gil, nuevo refuerzo del Deportivo". Marca.
23. Yordi, Juan. (20 July 2017). "Carles Gil jugará en el Dépor hasta 2021". Marca.
24. Dicken, Alex. (30 April 2018). "Carles Gil's stint away from Aston Villa goes from bad to worse". Birmingham Mail.
25. (30 January 2019). "After lengthy pursuit, Revs get their man in DP Carles Gil: "He's a creator"". New England Revolution.
26. Dell’Apa, Frank. (30 January 2019). "Revolution make major acquisition in Spanish midfielder Carles Gil". [[The Boston Globe]].
27. (2 March 2019). "Gil scores in MLS debut, Revolution tie FC Dallas 1–1". [[Fox Sports]].
28. (19 October 2019). "Recap {{!}} Revs fall to Atlanta United, 1–0, in Round One of Audi 2019 MLS Cup Playoffs". New England Revolution.
29. Weitzer, Nate. (16 October 2019). "Carles Gil wins MLS Newcomer of the Year award". The Boston Globe.
30. "2024 Media Guide". New England Revolution.
31. Bogert, Tom. (22 October 2020). "Carles Gil is back in New England Revolution full training, not listed on injury report". [[Major League Soccer]].
32. Stejskal, Sam. (20 November 2020). "Carles Gil returns to great effect in Revs' MLS playoff win over Montreal". [[The New York Times]].
33. (30 November 2020). "Bou scores twice, New England reaches MLS Eastern finals". [[Associated Press]].
34. Green, Dave. (8 December 2020). "Revs make roster decisions ahead of 2021 MLS season". [[NBC Sports]].
35. Dell'Apa, Frank. (24 May 2021). "Revolution sign Carles Gil to contract extension that puts him among highest-paid players in MLS". The Boston Globe.
36. Le Miere, Jason. (23 October 2021). "New England Revolution win 2021 MLS Supporters' Shield". Major League Soccer.
37. (24 November 2021). "New England Revolution's Carles Gil named MLS Comeback Player of the Year". Major League Soccer.
38. (1 December 2021). "New York City FC oust top-seeded New England Revolution in penalty shootout". [[ESPN]].
39. (7 December 2021). "New England Revolution's Carles Gil wins MLS MVP". ESPN.
40. Bird, Hayden. (1 June 2023). "3 takeaways from the Revolution's 3–3 thriller against Atlanta United". [[Boston.com]].
41. McKenna, Greg. (7 July 2023). "After surprising snub, Revolution's Carles Gil named to MLS All-Star Team". The Boston Globe.
42. (7 March 2024). "Revolution captain Carles Gil re-signed to long-term contract extension". New England Revolution.
43. Pongratz, Caleb. (8 September 2024). "Will Sands, Luca Langoni, and Carles Gil honored with spots on Team of the matchday 31". Prost International.
44. Pongratz, Caleb. (20 September 2024). "Carles Gil honored with 5th spot on MLS Team of the Matchday this season". Prost International.
45. (5 October 2024). "New England Revolution captain Carles Gil voted 2024 Team MVP". New England Revolution.
46. (20 April 2025). "Recap {{!}} Revs make it three wins in four, keep climbing with 2–0 victory over NYCFC". New England Revolution.
47. (9 August 2025). "Recap {{!}} Gil breaks Twellman's goal contributions record in Revs' 2–0 win over D.C. United". New England Revolution.
48. (30 August 2013). "Carles Gil convocado para la sub 21". Super Deporte.
49. (9 September 2013). "Slick Spain leave Albania standing". UEFA.
50. García, Carlos. (19 October 2012). "Apuesta de futuro por la familia Gil". Super Deporte.
51. Dell'Apa, Frank. (18 August 2022). "Revolution sign Carles Gil's younger brother Nacho". The Boston Globe.
52. Stearns, Butch. (7 March 2024). "Revolution MVP Carles Gil signs multi-year deal to stay in New England". [[WFXT]].
53. Thompson, Rich. (10 September 2022). "Revolution fall 2–1 at Red Bulls New York". [[Boston Herald]].
54. Dell'Apa, Frank. (17 February 2023). "Carles Gil expects Revolution to learn from and bounce back from season of adversity". The Boston Globe.
55. {{Soccerway. carlos-gil-de-pareja-vicent/207208
56. {{ESPN FC. 152168
57. Marín, David. (26 May 2013). "El Elche, campeón de Segunda". Marca.
58. (7 December 2021). "Carles Gil named 2021 Landon Donovan MLS Most Valuable Player". Major League Soccer.
59. Boehm, Charles. (16 October 2019). "New England Revolution's Carles Gil wins MLS Newcomer of the Year". Major League Soccer.
60. (2 January 2017). "MLS fact and record book". Major League Soccer.
61. (1 July 2021). "New England Revolution star Carles Gil named MLS Player of the Month for June". Major League Soccer.
62. (10 August 2022). "Updated 2022 MLS All-Star Team Roster". Major League Soccer.
63. (7 July 2023). "Carles Gil added to MLS All-Star team". [[CBS News]].
64. Creditor, Avi. (7 December 2021). "Revolution's Carles Gil Wins 2021 MLS MVP Award". [[Sports Illustrated]].
65. (6 October 2024). "New England Revolution captain Carles Gil voted 2024 Team MVP". New England Revolution.
66. (2019). "Man of the Year Award". The Midnight Riders.