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Actor who played Dani Rojas in Ted Lasso is signing with U.S. pro soccer team originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
Dani Rojas became a beloved character in the hit show "Ted Lasso" for his famous line: "Football is life!"
It's about to become reality for the actor that played Dani Rojas. Cristo Fernandez is set to sign a professional soccer contract in the U.S.
Reports have indicated that El Paso Locomotive is on the verge of landing Fernandez for its squad.
El Paso plays in the USL Championship, which is essentially the second-tier of pro soccer in the United States, below just MLS.
Fernandez is 35 years old and is originally from Gudalajara in Mexico.
He played in the Guadalajara academy, but a serious knee injury stifled his soccer career at that time.
He ended up pursuing acting in college, and he moved to London, where he found his way onto Ted Lasso.
Fernandez has also featured in a State Farm commercial with Patrick Mahomes, as well as a recent Old Spice advertisement.
Clearly for a lower-division soccer club, there is a benefit to bringing a name brand aboard to gain some added attention.
For Fernandez, though, this has to be a special opportunity after his soccer career seemed to end long ago.
While it's impossible to know what is edited or special effects, the Dani Rojas character was often the one in the show doing the most impressive technical skills on the pitch.
Now in real life, Fernandez is going to try and prove to himself, and to everyone watching, that he's still got it.