Futbol Is Life It's A Lifestyle And Now A Book From Pro Soccer's Cristo Fernandez

Futbol Is Life It's A Lifestyle And Now A Book From Pro Soccer's Cristo Fernandez

From Young Adult Authors Unplugged From Arroe Collins by Arroe Collins

July 11, 2026 · 12 min

About this episode

Cristo Fernández discusses his bilingual picture book inspired by his life as a soccer player and his role in Ted Lasso.

FÚTBOL IS LIFE!/¡FÚTBOL ES VIDA! is an inspirational bilingual picture book from Cristo Fernández, the actor and filmmaker best known for his role as Dani Rojas on the Emmy Award-winning show Ted Lasso. Inspired by Fernández’s own life as a fútbol-soccer player in his hometown of Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico, this English-Spanish bilingual story explores themes of being open to change and discovering new passions after Cristobalito is sidelined by an injury. This story, like Fernández’s mission in life, aims to bring positivity, joy, and inspiration to readers. The title is taken from Fernández’s Ted Lasso character’s iconic catchphrase—fútbol is life!—which he coined in his audition. The phrase transformed the trajectory of both the show and his own life from professional fútbol player to actor and filmmaker .

People in this episode

Host: Arroe Collins

Guest: Cristo Fernández

Topics covered

Keywords

Mentioned in this episode

Books & works: FÚTBOL IS LIFE!/¡FÚTBOL ES VIDA!, Ted Lasso

Places: Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico

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