By Re-Signing With New England, Carles Gil Cemented His Icon Status

“It was my priority to stay here."

Photo By: © J. Alexander Dolan

On Thursday Carles Gil signed a long-term extension that sees him guaranteed to stay in New England through the 2026 MLS season with an additional club option in 2027.

But the midfielder did a lot more than sign on the dotted line. He confirmed that he would maintain his status as a Revolution icon.

Gil is more than deserving of the title. He is the best Revolution player to ever don the club’s jersey and helped lead New England to its first-ever Supporters’ Shield.

In all competitions, Gil’s 112 goal contributions rank fourth in club history. For his MLS regular season career, the 31-year-old has totaled 96 goal contributions with 33 goals and 63 assists in only 135 games played.

But we already knew what Gil could do on the field. He is the best player to ever call Gillette Stadium home.

Still, what he did on Thursday cemented his status as a club icon. He is set to retire as a member of the Revolution. Gone are the days of seeing Shalrie Joseph be traded instead of ending his career in New England. The Revolution made sure that Gil would retire a Rev.

“When I became the sporting director, I had two clear objectives on day one. The first one was to bring in a top-class coach with a winning pedigree, and we did that with the hiring of Caleb Porter. Second, and the most important thing on the player side, was to make sure that we secured Carles Gil,” Curt His contract was up this year, like I had said earlier, one of the best players ever play in this club, so our priority was to get him signed. And I am extremely happy to announce today that we've been able to do that.”

While Onalfo’s priority was to get Gil signed, the captain had a similar aim. He told reporters on Thursday that his priority was to stay in New England.

“It was my priority to stay here,” Gil said. “We had to speak with Curt before he hired a coach and we had to wait to see [Porter’s] ideas because he’s the one in charge. Caleb gave me all his confidence and because of that, the negotiation period was brief. When both parties want the same thing, it’s much easier to reach an agreement.”

This is what has cemented Gil’s status. He wanted to stay in New England and he will. His entire MLS career will be spent with one club and he helped that club reach unprecedented heights.

Beyond being a baller on the field, he will be remembered for staying with New England, unlike a certain quarterback. Gil will be in his mid-30s once this contract expires. It can safely be assumed that he will retire a Rev unlike some of the organization’s legends of the past.

Winning an MLS Cup would be a cherry on top for the midfielder but it won’t change how he is viewed by Revolution fans and the history books. He is THE icon, not simply an icon. Winning a championship will only add to his already stellar resume while failing to will not do the midfielder any harm.

So appreciate Gil while he is here. It will be a long time before another player will measure up to him (if that is even possible).