Ted Lasso star Cristo Fernández is out to prove that Fútbol is real Is Life.
Fernández, 35, who played fan favorite Dani Rojas in the Apple TV+ soccer comedy, signed with El Paso Locomotive FC of the USL Championship League as a striker earlier this year, fulfilling a childhood dream.
“It’s crazy. I’m a crazy man,” Fernández said exclusively Us weekly through its partnership with Tequila CAZADORES. “But I’ve just always done things because I want to, because I like doing them, because they come from my heart. There may be people who disagree or think I shouldn’t do it. Even sometimes people who care about me say, ‘Are you sure? Don’t do it.'”
Fernández said that since he joined El Paso Locomotive for the 2026 season, some of his teammates were quick to remind him of his Hollywood past.
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“The other day during a game I accidentally got hit and fell,” he recalled. “I thought, ‘Oh my God.’ And then some of my teammates joked, ‘He’s an actor, he’s just making it up.'”
Friendly banter aside, Fernández said he quickly learned to love being in El Paso, politically, during an admittedly tumultuous time for the border city.
“There are a lot of mountains, I love that it’s bilingual and multicultural,” he explained. “It’s a new city for me. Even in the crazy world we live in now – when we talk about borders and these aspects of immigration, it’s so terrible and not great – but it’s crazy to be here. I drive in El Paso and I see Juárez (Mexico, across the border). When I drive in Juárez, I see El Paso. There’s a sense of community here at the border.”
He continued: “I love the city, I love the people. And I’m really looking forward to this year.”
While he might have hung up Dani Rojas’ boots for the time being, Fernández’s Ted Lasso Castmates have supported his journey from afar for nearly 20 years after a knee injury derailed his soccer career at age 15.
“We stay in touch,” he said. “After the news broke that I could officially join the team, my friends joined Ted Lasso sent me a message. We have a WhatsApp group. They all said: ‘Felicidades, amigo’, ‘Congratulations’, ‘All the best’.”
He added: “Everything happens for a reason, both good and bad. But everything has a origin.” Ted Lasso.”
Ted Lasso returns to the small screen. The focus of the hit series, which premiered in 2020, is American football coach Ted (Jason Sudeikis), who moves across the pond to coach a British football team. After almost helping AFC Richmond win the Premier League, Ted returns to the USA and Coach Beard (Brendan Hunt), (…)
One of those good things is Fernández’s partnership with Tequila CAZADORES and their “Carded by Cristo” campaign, which reimagines football’s yellow and red cards with a series of signature cocktail recipes.
“Football and tequila, there is no better combination,” Fernández said. “Sport and good tequila bring people together. It’s all about partying.”
Cristo Fernandez for Tequila CAZADORES
Courtesy of Tequila CAZADORESFans can come along the campaign website to receive a digital award from Fernández – and he’ll be making surprise appearances at watch parties all summer long.
“I like to celebrate with my family and friends when the moment is right,” he said. “Life is a balance. Everything is not just black or white, there are so many colors in between.”
