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With the FIFA World Cup inching closer and two major competitions in the U.S. this summer, it’s safe to call this the Summer of Soccer. To celebrate the fans who fuel the game, Tequila Cazadores teamed up with former fútbol player and Ted Lasso star Cristo Fernández to drop a new jersey inspired by the sport and his Jalisco, México roots.
“To me, football is truly more than a sport. It’s like a religion. It’s community, it’s joy,” Fernández tells Rolling Stone. “It’s about bringing people together, regardless of where you come from, your culture, your beliefs. With Tequila Cazadores, specifically this campaign, what captured me was the approach because it’s a celebration not only of the sport but of the people who make the sport: the fans.”
Alongside Fernández, the tequila brand put together a limited-edition fútbol kit that includes a streetwear-inspired jersey co-designed by the actor and Icarus FC. Fans can enter for a chance to receive the kit at Cazadores.com. The actor also came up with a cocktail called El Golazo, made with their Reposado, agave nectar, fresh lime, jalapeño, and pineapple juice. (He prefers his tequila sipped, though.)
“This partnership is all about honoring the rich tradition and culture of fútbol,” said Jay Needham, Global Senior Brand Director for Tequila Cazadores & Agave, in a statement. “Whether fans are watching from the stands, their neighborhood bar, or their own living rooms, we wanted to give them a way to enjoy the game with spirit — literally and figuratively.”
The Ted Lasso actor caught up with Rolling Stone to talk vintage fútbol jerseys, honoring his roots with Tequila Cazadores, and how the sport keeps finding its way back into his life:
Talk me through the inspiration for the kit.
When we spoke about it, Tequila Cazadores and I, I just love this type of vintage team jerseys. If I could have chosen, I would have loved to have been born back in the day. This type of jersey and cloth reminds me of those t-shirts that my heroes I used to watch growing up. The colors look very Mexican.
Who were some of your soccer heroes growing up?
Brazilian Ronaldo, Ronaldinho. If I go back more, Hugo Sanchez, just watching him in his days playing. Rafa Marquez. Those were my heroes.
I love how connected to soccer you have been, obviously with Ted Lasso and being a player before. What keeps you connected to the sport?
It’s always been a reminder of how sometimes life works. Life works in funny ways. I grew up playing football, and that was the only thing I ever wanted to do, at the time, I couldn’t understand at the moment why they didn’t happen. And then just with time, I understood that everything happened for a reason. Not even in my craziest, wildest dreams did I think that football was gonna give me the opportunities in my new dreams as an artist, as an actor, as a filmmaker. There we were with Ted Lasso, and now here we are with our campaign for Tequila Cazadores. Football keeps coming back to me and I’m forever grateful with the sport.
When you’re at a game, what’s your preferred way of drinking Cazadores?
I just love tequila. I like having my sparkling water with a fruit, either a citrus, lime, orange, and a shot of tequila. People see the shot of tequila and think I’ll be getting incredibly drunk, but Cazadores is good quality and a good time. That’s how I like to drink it: enjoy it and sip it and just enjoy the moment. With Tequila Cazadores, we also came up with a cocktail titled Golazo. They went for my crazy title and crazy ideas. And from the fruits that you will normally get, like citrus, I tried to change it with something like pineapple. And piñas is fruit but also a word I use to refer to my friends in Guadalajara. It’s also a way for me to honor my friends back home. And of course, we needed some spice, so we added some chile.
I love how you and your sister Paloma launched EspectroMX, a production company to help Mexican actors like yourselves. What’s that been like?
I’m forever grateful with Ted Lasso, that was the project that opened doors for me. And ever since, I am grateful I’ve had the opportunity to work in cool, amazing projects. But before that, it was 13 years of only doing my own short films. I never acted in anything professionally. After my crazy dreams of football and then me pretending to be an actor and filmmaker, I auditioned for things in Mexico, in the U.K., in the US, everywhere, and never got anything. I was giving myself my own roles, and that paid off. I just believe in repetition and doing it and doing and doing it, and I think naturally I came up with this idea to create more films, and it represents in my journey. I believe in multicultural stories, and right now we’ve done three feature films already: Corina, Las Tres Sisters, and Una Pequeña Confusión. We’re about to announce something soon, but that’s the spirit of keeping on creating our stories. Just the same way people gave me the opportunity. I wanna give — in my indie low budget feature films — those types of opportunities.
What is it that’s currently driving you right now?
Honestly, the way football is coming back in my life. I would like to keep honoring the sport that has given me so much, that has given me so many lessons. Nowadays, I don’t think of myself as an artist; I still think of myself as an athlete. And it’s in that spirit that I wanna create some great sports projects. And that’s what’s driving me. But also my family, my friends, and create stuff with them. The more outside I am from my hometown of Guadalajara, the more I appreciate it. I wanna keep creating things in Guadalajara. I wanna be closer to home and to my people because they are the ones that give me the energy to keep going. I want them to feel proud.
