Carles Gil Isn't Your Typical Star

Those close to the midfielder share what makes him different from your typical star midfielder

Photo By J. Alexander Dolan

Everyone wants to know the secret to success or what allows for individuals to perform at elite levels. Sometimes it is all about thinking less of yourself and more about what you can do for the team.

Carles Gil passed Taylor Twellman for the most goal contributions in Revolution history. In front of Revs alumni, Gil displayed how talented he is, connecting with Leo Campana on a beautiful cross and then scoring a curler of his own.

“It’s special to break the record,” Gil said. “Like I’ve said many times, [Twellman] a legend here in the club, in the league. I have more games [played] than him, I think, to break the record. But it’s a pleasure to have these words about him, and he’s a big legend.”

In a disappointing season for New England, the midfielder has been one of the lone bright spots. He leads the team with nine goals and six assists. Without him, the Revolution would have been doomed these past two seasons, and he has been irreplaceable ever since coming to New England.

Twellman has said it before, Gil is the greatest player in Revolution history. We have heard time and time again how skillful the midfielder is. But fans might not get a glimpse at how Gil conducts himself off the pitch or on the training ground.

Current Revs head coach Caleb Porter has worked with numerous talented MLS players but he noted that the professionalism that Gil has is unmatched.

“I just can't say enough about Carles [Gil], because he's a top player and yet he's so humble,” Porter said. “He's a team guy. We actually had some good conversations this week. Sometimes I've had top players, and you lose, and they can be tricky. But not him. He's just so professional and he has so much character, and he's such a team guy. That's just very rare.”

Gil’s humbleness has allowed him to be a great leader. The captain isn’t a prima donna who will throw his teammates under the bus in the press. Gil always tries to lift the team up while demanding the Revs play at a high level.

“He's unassuming, he's quiet, but he is a leader,” goalkeeper Matt Turner said. “He's a leader in the way that he cares, in the way that he always contributes with goals and assists. And to be honest, you think about Taylor [Twellman], and he's kind of like hand-in-hand with that old Revolution logo, with the navy blue and the silver on the sleeves. And it's like, that's the Taylor Twellman Revs. But, in the last six years, I mean, to do it in six years, and in the position that he is, it's not his game necessarily to score goals. Obviously, most of those are assists. He's just such an amazing player and such an amazing talent. I think there's no one more deserving to have that record for this club right now.”

Revolution fans should enjoy watching Gil play in New England while he is still performing at an elite level. Time stops for no one, and we are approaching the latter half of his career. There will be a day not too far in the future when the Revs will have to find a new No. 10 and some poor soul will be faced with having to try and replace Gil.

But no one will ever replace Gil. He is a remnant of a bygone era in MLS and soccer in general, where every squad needed a baller No. 10 to be successful, and while the game has changed, Gil’s ability to make an impact hasn’t.