Carles Gil

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. 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.

Gil scored his 50th MLS goal in his 200th game on 18 April 2026 in a 2–1 win against the Columbus Crew, becoming the 32nd player in the competition's history to reach 50 goals and 50 assists.

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

Honours Elche Segunda División: 2012–13

New England Revolution Supporters' Shield: 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 2023, 2025, 2026 Major League Soccer top assist provider: 2021 New England Revolution MVP: 2019, 2021, 2023, 2024 Midnight Riders Man of the Year: 2019, 2021, 2023