He walked away from football due to an injury and now shines as an actor: he gave voice to the first Latin autobot and more

Cristo Fernández (Guadalajara, 1991) wears sports clothing, his face is sweaty, he is tired; but too happy. This overflowing emotion of the Mexican actor arises from his recent reunion with his great passion: soccer. All this took place in the fourth edition of the Star Meeting, a charity event that brought together soccer stars and renowned personalities within the framework of the Xcaret Platinum Awards 2024.

“How nice it is to be able to be here, fulfilling dreams.”says the Mexican artist in conversation with El Comercio.

The friendly match to benefit the System for the Comprehensive Development of the Family of the State of Quintana Roo took place last Thursday, at El Camaleón Mayakoba, a space dedicated to golf lovers. With Gaby Espino as captain, the celebrities fell 8-3 against the football legends: Miguel Ángel Moya, Diego Forlán, Mario Suárez, Joaquín Sánchez, Fernando Morientes, Diego Godín, Javier Mascherano, Gaizka Mendieta and Miguel Layún.

A life linked to football

Cristo Fernández, long before gaining recognition for his role as the charismatic forward Dani Rojas in the series “Ted Lasso”, was a young soccer player with a promising career in the Tecos de Guadalajara. Since he was a child, football was his supreme passion. At the age of 15, he was already shining in the lower divisions, and in 2014 he debuted in Puerto Rico with Guayama FC, until injuries began to affect his performance, especially one to his knee. It was then that he had to leave the field of play.

Upon leaving football, Fernández admitted that he was very disappointed. They were hard years, with a lot of sacrifice and “existential crises.”

“My dream was football, that’s why it was difficult for me to understand at the time why all this was happening to me: injuries, crises. Then, I understood that from the biggest misfortunes to the most beautiful things happen for a reason. Thank God I found new dreams, passions. I prepared myself, I studied in Mexico, and soccer came back to me to give me opportunities in acting. It’s a dream come true to do the two things I like“, recognize.

He also recalled his participation in “Transformers: awakening of the beasts,” a film that was recorded in different settings in Peru, such as the regions of Cusco and San Martín. The actor gave voice and essence to Wheeljack, the first Latin autobot, a scientist who transforms into a 2009 Mercedes-Benz E-Class Couple.

“We recorded the voice in Guadalajara. I tried to make him sound very Mexican, that’s why he said: ‘ayayai’”, he comments.

Did you use Peruvian slang, such as: ‘causa’ and ‘asu mare’? “Well yes, I mean, there is a lot of talent in Peru, in all of Latin America, so we have to support each other“, highlights the Mexican actor after highlighting that he is working on new projects with his production house Espectro MX Films. He is also part of the cast of “Acapulco”, a series starring Eugenio Derbez, which will premiere its third season on May 1 on Apple TV +.