They call him the King of LA and he doesn't shy away from the moniker.
Carlos Vela was sensational against Vancouver Whitecaps, scoring a brace in LAFC's 3-0 win over the Canadians to complete a 6-0 aggregate thrashing in the Concacaf Champions League quarterfinals series.
If you're not happy with that, Vela also gave us a particular and emotional moment, celebrating one of those goals by hugging his two kids, Romeo and India, and his wife, Saioa Cañibano.
Carlos Vela celebrating with his family after his second goal is the cutest thing you will see all day #LAFC pic.twitter.com/G1g9DMf4Bz
— LAFC Central (@LAFCCentralShow) April 12, 2023
As one of the comments to the tweet says, good thing the security guards didn't tackle someone.
It's worth mentioning that this is not the first time Vela has celebrated a CCL goal with his family. A couple of weeks ago he pulled out a similar moment after scoring against Liga Alajuelense.
Carlos Vela goals vs. Vancouver Whitecaps
Vela's first sting was from the penalty spot.
Whitecaps defender Ryan Raposo slid inside the box, trying to get to the ball, but his clumsy move only knocked down LAFC forward Denis Bouanga. Moments later, Vela scored and shooed away the ghosts from the PK he missed two weeks ago against FC Dallas in MLS.
Well executed, right?
But the second goal was lightyears better. Illie Sanchez split the Whitecaps' defense with a long pass that Vela cushioned with his chest before letting the ball roll into the net in the 31st minute.
Vela could have bagged a hat trick in the second half, but his effort went over the bar.
LAFC looked like a well-oiled machine and eventually got their third and last goal of the night through a blast from Ecuadorian José Cifuentes.
In the Champions League semifinals, LAFC will face the winner of the quarterfinals series between Philadelphia Union and Atlas.