Cristo Fernández said the World Cup is about dreaming and called his first in-person World Cup a dream come true. The Guadalajara-born actor, who plays Dani Rojas in Ted Lasso, said he experienced that moment while Mexico advanced through the tournament with four straight victories and no goals conceded.
“Regardless of your age, it’s cool to dream because we are told in society that only kids and young children are allowed to dream big, but I think it’s for all ages,” he said. Fernández also said, “I hope grownups truly understand that we can all dream.”
Mexico and Estadio Azteca
Mexico defeated Ecuador 2–0 in the round of 32 at the Estadio Azteca and earned its first knockout stage win in 40 years. The team broke la maldición del quinto partido, or fifth game curse, and now faces England for a place in the quarterfinals. Mexico has not reached the quarterfinals since 1986.
Fernández said, “The World Cup itself for me is a dream come true.” He added, “It’s my first World Cup that I’ve [seen] in person, and I am able to live it with my sister, Paloma, and my friends.” He also said, “I went to the first inaugural game in the Estadio Azteca, so that was a dream come true and something I will never forget.”
El Paso Locomotive FC in May
Fernández put his acting career on pause to pursue professional soccer and signed a contract with USL Championship side El Paso Locomotive FC in May. He said, “As time passed, it awoke in me, this passion again,” and added, “But also I wanted to prove to myself that I actually could play.”
He said, “I was not feeling right because I was fulfilling dreams of a soccer player without being a soccer player,” and, “I just had to go for it.” Fernández said he is learning to adapt to the high level of play in Texas, where he has trained since signing.
That training has kept him from seeing every El Tri match, even as Mexico’s run has stretched into the round of 16. He said he has not been able to attend all of El Tri’s matches because of his schedule in Texas, leaving him to balance a public acting identity, a soccer comeback, and a tournament he is following from both the stands and the training ground.
