Several retired pros have appeared in the Apple TV show

NEED TO KNOW

• Ted Lasso features cameos from soccer legends like Thierry Henry, Gary Lineker and Pep Guardiola
• Guardiola joined the show as a fan, sharing advice with Ted Lasso in a memorable season 3 appearance
• Henry and Lineker’s commentary is frequently referenced throughout the comedy, including a recurring “Shut up, Thierry Henry!” gag

AFC Richmond may be a fictional soccer club, but Ted Lasso has still managed to recruit some of the sport’s biggest names.

Throughout the Apple TV comedy’s run, several well-known figures from the sport — including former players Thierry Henry and Gary Lineker, presenter Jeff Stelling and referee Mike Dean — have made cameo appearances alongside the AFC Richmond squad.

Their involvement is especially meaningful to co-creator and star Brendan Hunt, who plays Coach Beard in the series.

“Thierry Henry, I mean, he’s someone who I became a fan of when I was getting into soccer while living in Amsterdam,” he told TVLine in September 2021.

Hunted continued, “He’s a big part of the reason why I fell in love with the sport, and thus he’s a big part of the reason why Ted Lasso even exists.”

Here are four real-life soccer stars who have appeared on Ted Lasso.

Chris Kamara

Former defensive midfielder-turned-beloved Sky Sports Soccer Saturday analyst Chris Kamara has appeared as himself in at least three episodes of Ted Lasso. Along with Stelling, he hosts a fictionalized version of their real-life talk show.

In Kamara’s first appearance, during season 2 in 2021, Roy Kent (Brett Goldstein) appears on their show in an attempt to start a career as a sports pundit. However, his gruff demeanor and foul language prove to be less than ideal for live television.

Gary Lineker

Lineker, who is widely regarded as one of England’s greatest strikers, has appeared in three episodes of Ted Lasso. Like Kamara, he’s also a commentator on the show and in real life.

Though he’s mostly let his on-screen performance speak for itself, the sports broadcaster did post about his love for the show before he was featured.

“Thought after a couple of episodes it was going to be a cliched, hackneyed football comedy and in some ways it was,” Lineker wrote in an October 2020 post on X. “But I warmed to it, and the characters in it. It was funny, warm and highly enjoyable.”

Josep “Pep” Guardiola

During season 3 in 2023, Ted Lasso fans were treated to a one-episode cameo from iconic football manager and former pro Joseph “Pep” Guardiola.

In the episode, the retired athlete plays the manager of a team that AFC Richmond is going up against. At one point, he offers Ted some advice.

“Don’t worry about who wins or loses. Just help these guys be the best version of themselves on and off the pitch. This, at the end, is the most important thing,” he says.

A few eagle-eyed fans even spotted two former Premier League pros, Jay Bothroyd and George Elokobi, walking out onto the pitch for Guardiola’s fictional team.

The manager said the offer to appear on the show was a no-brainer.

“As a family, my little daughter Valentina and my wife, we enjoy a lot to watch the show,” he said during a May 2023 press conference, per Reuters. “We are big fans, and when they offered a cameo, I said why not and I could meet the actors.”

Thierry Henry

Henry also appeared as himself during three episodes of Ted Lasso, serving as a commentator alongside Lineker.

The duo famously narrate Coach Beard’s wild night out in the season 2 episode “Beard After Hours.”

Henry also became the subject of the show’s recurring “Shut up, Thierry Henry!” gag.

“The only thing that is in his head is Thierry Henry and Gary Lineker, who are legends by the way — actual sporting legends,” Hunt told TVLine of that iconic episode. “The only thing that’s imaginary is those guys.”

The actor continued, “Those guys are the devil on his shoulder, the bad voice in his head. They’re like his version of Fight Club’s Tyler Durden.”

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