Ted Lasso’s Cristo Fernandez makes professional debut in USL with El Paso | OneFootball

Cristo Fernandez, best known as Dani Rojas in Ted Lasso, made his professional bow for El Paso Locomotive in the USL Championship, the United States second tier, overnight from Saturday to Sunday.

The 35-year-old Mexican came on in the 79th minute as a forward, the same role as his screen character, in a 0-2 USL Cup group-stage loss to New Mexico United, then was booked eight minutes later. “Football has given me the best moments as well as the saddest, that is probably why, for me, football is life,” he said in May, according to ESPN.

Fernandez had long aimed to turn professional before injuries pushed him towards acting. He was developed at Tecos, the Zapopan club crowned Mexican champions in 1994.

Last year he returned to training, earning a trial with Chicago Fire’s reserve side and then another with El Paso, which led to this debut.

It remains unknown whether he will return for season four of the Apple TV series, due on five August. For now, Dani Rojas’s catchphrase is being lived out on real pitches.

Source: L'Équipe