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2 min readUpdated: Jul 13, 2026 07:10 PM IST
Ted Lasso fame actor Cristo Fernandez turned a professional footballer after making his debut for El Paso. (Credit: Reuters)
Cristo Fernandez. an actor best known for playing a professional football player on popular tv show ‘Ted Lasso’, turned his reel character into reality when he made his professional football debut for USL side El Paso Locomotive in the cup match against New Mexico United on Saturday.
Subbed in the 79th minute for Locomotive, Cristo picked up a yellow card as his side lost 0-2.
Cristo played the role of ever-optimistic character Dani Rojas in Ted Lasso which became extremely popular for the emotional storytelling blended with sporting action. His mantra, “Football is life!”, became one of the show’s most beloved catchphrases.
FUTBOL IS LIFE 🙌
Cristo Fernandez, known for playing Dani Rojas in Ted Lasso, made his professional debut on Saturday. Fernandez was a 79th-minute substitute in El Paso Locomotive’s USL Cup game vs. New Mexico United ❤️🔥pic.twitter.com/OgNR4N16Oc
— Men in Blazers (@MenInBlazers) July 12, 2026
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The show is about an American college football coach who is unexpectedly hired to manage struggling Premier League side AFC Richmond in England. Despite having no experience as a football coach, Ted Lasso (played by Jason Sudeikis) along with his assistant Willis Beard (played by Brendan Hunt) navigates his way in the English Premier League.
Cristo, who is one of the central characters in the series later on, is an accomplished youth player. However, like his character in the show, his career was derailed due to injuries. The 35-year-old started his career with Tecos FC in Liga MX before turning to acting.
His childhood dream of becoming a footballer never went away and after the show, he began testing himself with a performance coach, physio therpaist at a football clinic in Mexico.
He first tried out for the Chicago Fire’s reserve squad earlier this year, which led to another tryout with El Paso and an eventual contract. “Football has given me both the best moments, the sad moments,” he said. “I guess that’s why, for me, football is life.”
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