Cristo Fernández

Cristo Fernández
Fernández at GalaxyCon Richmond in 2024
Born
Cristóbal Fernández González

(1991-01-27) 27 January 1991
Education
Occupations
  • Actor
  • footballer
Years active2016–present
Notable workTed Lasso
Height1.78 m (5 ft 10 in)[1]

Association football career
Position Forward
Team information
Current team
El Paso Locomotive
Number 91[2]
Youth career
Estudiantes Tecos
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
Valle del Grullo
2013–2014 Guayama
2026– El Paso Locomotive 0 (0)
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 13 July 2026

Cristóbal Fernández González (born 27 January 1991)[3] is a Mexican actor and professional footballer who plays as a forward for USL Championship club El Paso Locomotive.[4] He is best known for playing Dani Rojas in the Apple TV+ series Ted Lasso (2020–2023).

Fernández has also played roles in the films Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021), Transformers: Rise of the Beasts (2023), Venom: The Last Dance (2024), and Sonic the Hedgehog 3 (2024).

Early life

Cristóbal Fernández was born on 27 January 1991, in Guadalajara, Jalisco.

Acting career

Fernández fell in love with acting while in college, and further pursued acting after moving to London.[5] Following a stint in several indie films, he was cast in the Apple TV+ comedy series Ted Lasso, in which he played Dani Rojas across the first three seasons (2020–2023).[3]

Fernández is also the co-founder of film production company Espectro MX Films.[6]

Starting in 2024, Fernández has featured in the State Farm commercial "Bundle is Life" alongside Patrick Mahomes.

Recently he was featured in the English and Spanish commercial for Old Spice Swagger deodorant "Mantente fresco con Cristo Fernandez", "Underfreshtimated".[7]

He also played a small part in Sonic the Hedgehog 3 (2024).

In the German-language Swiss sitcom Unsere kleine Botschaft, Fernandez plays the local embassy staff member Fernando. Fernandez speaks fluent German and is not dubbed.[8]

Personal life

He has a younger sister, Paloma Cinco, an actress, model and business entrepreneur. She acted as Maria Rojas, Dani Rojas' sister in Ted Lasso Season 4 (2026)

Football career

Early career

Fernández found a love for football at a young age, and joined the youth teams of Guadalajara's Estudiantes Tecos at the age of 15.[9] He later played in the Tercera División de México for Valle del Grullo[10] and had a stint with Guayama in Puerto Rico[11] before a knee injury ultimately ended his professional career in 2014.[9] With the encouragement of his parents, Fernández decided to pursue acting as a second career.[5]

El Paso Locomotive

In early 2026, Fernández pursued a return to professional football. He trained with Chicago Fire II, the reserve side of Major League Soccer club Chicago Fire,[12] before trialing with USL Championship side El Paso Locomotive. He logged approximately 30 minutes for the club in a pre-season friendly against New Mexico United.[13] On 12 May 2026, El Paso signed Fernández to a professional contract.[4] On 11 July 2026, he made his debut for the club against New Mexico in the 2026 USL Cup after being subbed in for Rubio Rubin in the 79th minute.[14]

Career statistics

As of 11 July 2026[15]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League Playoffs Domestic cup League cup[a] Total
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
El Paso Locomotive 2026 USL Championship 0000001010
Career total 0000001010
  1. ↑ Includes USL Cup

Filmography

Film

Year Title Role Notes
2016 Bizet Son Short film
Treintona, soltera y fantástica Mesero
2017 Fuera De Serie Guillermo Short film
2018 New Message Received Ben Short film
Intermitente Erick González (Boxer) Short film
2019 Distract-MEME Quirky Man Short film
The Great Travel Experiment: Brisbane, Australia Guide Assistant Short film
Vainilla Por La Noche Papá (Alcohólico Agresivo) Short film
Çdo Çast Shpirti Amë (Native American Spirit) Short film
TraducLations Paco Short film
Puedo Explicarlo Felipe Short film
Method in Madness Hamlet Short film
El Hada de Las Chelas Max TV movie
2020 Smoked Rico Short film
Intruso Eduardo Short film
Mis Mejores Días Eric Short film
Jaguar Jaguar Short film
2021 Me Enredas - Xias Paco Video short
When You Are Gone Waiter 1
Jano Javier Short film
Distance Francisco Short film
Don't Go to School Tomorrow Rafa
Who Speaks Love Paco
Creatures Jorge
Spider-Man: No Way Home Bartender
2023 Transformers: Rise of the Beasts Wheeljack
2024 The Casagrandes Movie Chipiri (voice) [16]
Corina Carlos
Venom: The Last Dance Bartender (MCU) / (SSU)
Sonic the Hedgehog 3 Juan / Pablo Cameos
2025 Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Road Trip Chavo
TBA In Flight Marco Post-production[17]

Television

Year Title Role Notes
2020–2023 Ted Lasso Dani Rojas (Seasons 1-3)
2024 Zorro Po-mahn-kwakurr / Zorro[18] Episodes 1 & 2
2024 Acapulco Gustavo (Season 3) Episode 3
2025 Unsere kleine Botschaft Fernando (Season 1)
2025 Phineas and Ferb Himself Voice, episode "Bend It Like Doof"
2026 Hey A.J.! Claudio Voice, episode "Independence Day"

Awards and nominations

Year Association Category Project Result Ref.
2021
Imagen Awards Best Supporting Actor – Television (Comedy) Ted Lasso Nominated [19]
Screen Actors Guild Awards Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series Won [20]
Hollywood Music in Media Awards Song – Onscreen Performance (TV Show/Limited Series) "So Long, Farewell" (from Ted Lasso) Nominated [21]
Screen Actors Guild Awards Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series Ted Lasso Nominated [22]

References

  1. ↑ "Cristobal Fernandez - Soccer Stats, Profile & Career Info | Global Sports Archive". GSA Website.
  2. ↑ El Paso Locomotive FC. "Roster Archive". El Paso Locomotive FC. Archived from the original on 12 May 2026. Retrieved 12 May 2026.
  3. 1 2 "'Fútbol is Life!' Mexican actor Cristo Fernández is loving his 'Ted Lasso' role". NBC News. 21 August 2021. Retrieved 2 September 2022.
  4. 1 2 "'Ted Lasso' star turned football pro: Cristo Fernández signs for USL team". www.espn.com. Retrieved 12 May 2026.
  5. 1 2 Sandra Gonzalez (22 July 2021). "For 'Ted Lasso' actor Cristo Fernández, football was life until life had other plans". CNN. Retrieved 26 December 2021.
  6. ↑ "About - Espectro Mx Films". espectromxfilms.com. Retrieved 19 January 2026.
  7. ↑ "Old Spice Swagger TV Spot, 'Mantente fresco' con Cristo Fernández" – via www.ispot.tv.
  8. ↑ Schäfer, Oliver (15 October 2025). "Kritik "Unsere kleine Botschaft" - neue Schweizer Sitcom".
  9. 1 2 Vanessa Guillen Matheus (21 August 2021). "'Fútbol is Life!' Mexican actor Cristo Fernández is loving his 'Ted Lasso' role". NBC News. Retrieved 26 December 2021.
  10. ↑ Guillermina Ortiz (11 April 2023). "Cristo Fernández no olvida sus raíces pese a su éxito en Hollywood". es-us.vida-estilo.yahoo.com. Retrieved 12 July 2026.
  11. ↑ Eduard Cauich (23 August 2023). "Cristo Fernández is channeling his inner Dani Rojas". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 12 July 2026.
  12. ↑ "Cristo Fernández trains with Chicago Fire II". YouTube. Retrieved 4 March 2026.
  13. ↑ Lynch, Joey (2 March 2026). "Football is life! 'Dani Rojas' from 'Ted Lasso' is on trial at a USL club". ESPN. Retrieved 4 March 2026.
  14. ↑ Oza, Rishi (12 July 2026). "Locomotive Fall 2-0 to New Mexico in Final Prinx Tires USL Cup Match". KVIA. Retrieved 12 July 2026.
  15. ↑ Cristo Fernández at Soccerway
  16. ↑ "'The Casagrandes Movie' to Release on Netflix Exclusively in March 2024". 23 February 2024.
  17. ↑ Cordero, Rosy (10 May 2024). "Gravitas Ventures Acquires Worldwide Rights To Indie Thriller 'In Flight' Ahead Of Cannes Premiere". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 24 May 2024.
  18. ↑ Didyme-Dôme, André (18 January 2024). "Crítica: Zorro – Episodio 1". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 24 January 2024.
  19. ↑ Schneider, Michael (2 August 2021). "2021 Imagen Awards Film and TV Nominations Announced (Full List)". Variety. Retrieved 14 August 2021.
  20. ↑ Lewis, Hilary; Coates, Tyler (12 January 2022). "SAG Awards: 'House of Gucci,' 'The Power of the Dog' Lead Film Nominations". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 12 January 2022.
  21. ↑ "Nominations unveiled for Hollywood Music in Media Awards 2023". Shoot Online. 2 November 2023. Retrieved 3 November 2023.
  22. ↑ "Nominations Announced for the 30th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards®" (Press release). Screen Actors Guild. 10 January 2024. Retrieved 10 January 2024.