Ted Lasso star 'set to sign' professional contract with club after being spotted in training

A former professional footballer who plays fictional character Dani Rojas in the TV series "Ted Lasso" is set to come out of retirement and sign for a USL club, according to reports.

Cristo Fernandez, who has played Rojas since the first season of "Ted Lasso" – when he arrived at AFC Richmond with his trademark catchphrase "Football is life!" – was a highly-rated midfielder growing up.

In real life, he joined Guadalajara's Club Deportivo Estudiantes Tecos at the age of 15 and was on the verge of making his professional debut in Mexico's second-tier.

But after suffering a serious knee injury, which kept him out for a year, his promising career was cut short.

Fernandez says he went through "an existential crisis" as he debated what to pursue next. "After I recovered from my injury, I tried to go back to the football, but things didn’t work out," he told Backstage in 2023.

Cristo Fernández pictured alongside Brendan Hunt and Jason Sudeikis in Ted Lasso. Image credit: Apple TV

A career in acting followed and the rest is history, but two decades after signing for his hometown club in Guadalajara, it appears Fernandez is about to make an unexpected return to professional football.

The 35-year-old was pictured training with USL Championship side El Paso Locomotive on Saturday ahead of their final pre-season game against New Mexico United.

Fernandez could be seen warming up on the sidelines in Texas, with local fan Jack Torrance taking to social media to announce the surprise news.

"DANNY ROJAS IS TRAINING WITH MY LOCAL CLUB!" he wrote on X, formerly Twitter. "WHAT ON EARTH IS HAPPENING!!!! SOMEONE PLEASE SHARE DETAILS! @dukekeith, @SeriouslyLoco."

A short time later, the Seriously Loco Soccer Pod provided an update on the situation.

"We were expecting the club to say something first but we have it on good authority that he is likely signing with the club in a playing capacity," they wrote.

Cristo Fernandez is close to joining USL Championship side El Paso Locomotive FC, according to reports. Image credit: X/@JT7s_

Locomotive will start their campaign in the United States' second-tier on Saturday, March 7, when they take on Colorado Springs Switchbacks.

Whether Fernandez will be involved remains to be seen, but it would certainly be a fairytale comeback for the Mexican as he looks set to achieve his childhood dream of becoming a professional footballer.

Football is life, after all.