Before 'Ted Lasso,' Cristo Fernández had pro soccer dreams. Now he's living them. - ESPN

«Ted Lasso» star Cristo Fernández wants to make one thing clear: This isn't a PR stunt.

«At the end of the day, I can tell you anything, but the only thing that's going to prove anything will be me on the pitch and the performance and what I bring on the field,» the actor-turned-player told ESPN after signing with the USL Championship's El Paso Locomotive. «I also understand who I am, and that big part of why I'm here can also be related to my work in other fields… [but] this is real life.»

To most if not all of his fans (which includes nearly half a million followers on Instagram), Fernández is known as Dani Rojas, an enthusiastic yet fictional soccer player from the show «Ted Lasso.» His goals, slick moves and even the club he plays for in the series, AFC Richmond, were part of a Hollywood script — which is why eyebrows were raised on Tuesday when El Paso announced it had signed the actor.

Some might view this as an obvious ploy by either the second-division team or the celebrity to bank off the TV show's notoriety. But for Fernández, it's the realization of a lifelong ambition, one that began well before he showed up on our screens.

«It's a dream come true, it's hard to put into words,» said the now professional player. «It has been lots of hard work.»

Football was, in fact, life for Fernández.

When talking to the actor, it felt similar to numerous other interviews with Mexican-born players who grow up with a passion for the sport. Raised in Guadalajara, the latest El Paso signing said that the «only thing I ever did» as a kid was play soccer.

Locally, he rooted for Liga MX giants Chivas and reminisced about his heroes such as Adolfo «Bofo» Bautista, Omar Bravo, Alberto «Venado» Medina and Oswaldo Sánchez. Beyond