Fan-favourite Ted Lasso star could sign real pro contract
One of the Richmond FC favourites could be on the precipice of turning fiction into reality, as he is reportedly in the running to sign a professional football contract.
Dani Rojas walked into the hearts of Ted Lasso fans with his infectious smile and all-purpose mantra that ‘football is life’.
Now, Mexican actor Cristo Fernández, who plays Dani, might prove the catchphrase in his own life, as he’s said to be in contention for a contract at a football club in El Paso, Texas.
A report has claimed that Fernández played 30 minutes in a pre-season friendly for El Paso Locomotive football club against New Mexico United over the weekend.
The Locomotive side has competed in the USL Championship in the US since 2019, a year after the Texan team was founded.
The club is reportedly expected to make a decision on Fernández’s future there this week, according to US football news outlet Goal.
Before he appeared in all three seasons of the beloved Apple TV series, the Jalisco native found a love of football from a young age.
The 35-year-old played youth football for Tecos FC academy in Jalisco, but sustained a knee injury aged 15 that brought his nascent career on the pitch to an end. He then pursued acting while at the University of Guadalajara.
Fernandez is not alone on the Ted Lasso cast with his past life in the world of football, as Kola Bokinni – who plays captain of the Richmond team Isaac McAdoo – also went semi-pro as an attacker.
It comes as the show is set to make a highly anticipated return with a fourth season this summer, albeit with a slightly different focus for the dramedy.
Once again starring and executive produced by Jason Sudeikis, Ted Lasso will nowtell the story of the female Greyhounds when it returns to screens this August, according to Hannah Waddingham.
The actress, who plays girlboss and club owner Rebecca Welton, told Deadline on the Baftas red carpet: ‘It’s a whole different deal with our Lady Greyhounds. I can’t wait for everyone to see what they’ve come up with.’
As for the release window? ‘August, I think,’ she told the publication, then realising she might have let the cat out the bag, added: ‘Am I allowed to say August? What if I’m wrong?’
Metro contacted Locomotive FC and Cristo Fernandez’s representative for comment.
Ted Lasso is available to stream on Apple TV, with season 4 returning later this year.
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