This week's episode of Ted Lasso starts with the players getting ready to start practice, and a particularly wholesome detail is that Dani Rojas (Cristo Fernández) has his catchphrase, "Fútbol is life," embroidered on his boots. The enthusiasm and natural charisma of the Mexican star are captivating, though what you may not know is that his whole character is based on a real-life footballer, fellow Mexican striker Javier "Chicharito" Hernández. The two of them play forward, like scoring goals (even with their faces!), and have a very positive outlook on football and why it matters, so it's the perfect match.
That's one of the things Ted Lasso does best: using real-world footy references to build its version of the beautiful game. Recently, for example, we've had star scorer Zava (Maximilian Osinski) emulate Swede legend Zlatan Ibrahimović on the show, but there's a lot more where that came from. Roy Kent (Brett Goldstein) is based on Manchester United icon Roy Keane, and even AFC Richmond itself is based on real-life club Crystal Palace. For footy fans, this is a treat, as it means the show knows what it's doing by treating the history of the sport as lore. But enough of that, let's talk fútbol now.
'Ted Lasso's Dani Rojas Is Based on Mexican Footy Star Javier ‘Chicharito’ Hernández
When we first meet Dani Rojas, he's the ultra-energetic new player who's starting at Richmond in Season 1, Episode 6, "Two Aces." He's coming back from injury, having spent some time away from the pitch, and, therefore, is extremely excited to be playing. Only we soon learn that this enthusiasm is not just because he was away, but it's his defining personality trait. He's naturally happy and positive, fitting like a glove in Ted's (Jason Sudeikis) locker room dynamics and soon infecting the rest of the team with his attitude.
Rojas' overall attitude is usually seen in a lot of Latin American players, but one of them stood out over the last decade, going so far as being the inspiration for the Ted Lasso character. That is Javier "Chicharito" Hernández, whose nickname means "little pea," a nod to him being the son of another celebrated Mexican footballer, Javier "Chicharo" Hernández, who has green eyes that look like peas. Chicharito was the symbol of a new generation of players in Mexican footy, along with the likes of Giovani dos Santos and Guillermo "Memo" Ochoa, and defined the national team's passionate and skillful style of play despite not winning any titles.
Chicharito started his career at Chivas Guadalajara, where he remained until transferring to Manchester United in 2010. Just like Rojas in Richmond, his impact on the club's performance was clear, and he scored 20 goals in his first season for the Red Devils, the only player to do so since classic striker Ruud van Nistelrooy. In his five years as a United player, he won two Premier League titles, including the club's last one to date in the 2012/2013 season, and was one of the last players to be coached by legendary manager Sir Alex Ferguson.
After leaving Manchester United in 2015, he played a season for Real Madrid while on loan, later going on to play for Bayer Leverkusen in the German Bundesliga, where he was frequently awarded the Player of the Month trophy. He would later go back to the Premier League and play for West Ham for two years (although not under Nate Shelley's command, who's played on the show by Nick Mohammed). Now, he's been playing in Major League Soccer for Los Angeles Galaxy, a club known for hosting great players in the waning years of their careers.
Similarities Between Dani Rojas and Chicharito Go Beyond Nationality and Charisma
Of course, Chicharito may not have been the sole inspiration for Dani Rojas' character, as many footballers also align with our beloved star. There are disparities between them, especially regarding their style on the pitch. For example, Chicharito has always been described as a "goal poacher," the kind of player who likes to be either in or close to the box and finish their team's plays by scoring a goal. He's always had a sense of where the ball was, where it was going, and where he needed to be — a typical striker feature — and even despite his short stature, has always been good at scoring headers. Rojas, on the other hand, was always more of a dasher and dribbler, which puts him closer to the likes of PSG icons Neymar and Kylian Mbappé.
Still, their willpower when entering the pitch is pretty similar, and both Dani and Chicharito would do whatever possible to help their teams, even score weird goals. This is another sign of how the inspiration is real because both players have already scored a goal with their faces. Yes, you read that right. Remember this season's second episode, "(I Don't Want to Go to) Chelsea"? Richmond went to Stamford Bridge stadium to play against Chelsea, and Dani scores a goal with his face. After a cross by Jamie Tartt (Phil Dunster), Sam Obisanya (Toheeb Jimoh) shoots the ball at the goalpost, and then it hits Dani's face before going in. Well, guess who also scored a face goal against Chelsea? Chicharito's happened when Manchester United was playing Chelsea for the 2010 Community Shield, the match between current Premier League and FA Cup Champions that traditionally kicks off foot season in England. After a cross by Antonio Valencia, Chicharito missed his shot, making the ball bounce full-force onto his own face before going in. So, technically, one could argue that he even assisted himself in that goal. You can't make that up.
There are coincidences that also help the case, like Dani Rojas' actor Cristo Fernández himself was once a footballer and was also born in Guadalajara, like Chicharito. So despite their differences in the pitch, this parallel between the two Mexican footballers begs to be made. We don't see everyday passionate players who live the sport as they do — the good, the bad, and the awkward aspects of it. So we can say "Fútbol is life," for sure, but it's also real life.
New episodes of Ted Lasso Season 3 premiere every Wednesday on Apple TV+.
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