Antonio Banderas Casts in a Soccer Movie to Portray Maradona

He has portrayed Che ('Evita'), his fellow countryman Picasso ('Genius'), and even been the alter ego of his friend Pedro Almodóvar ('Pain and Glory'). ... Historical roles sprinkle throughout Antonio Banderas' career, and to this gallery of illustrious characters, he will now add another charismatic figure: Diego Armando Maradona. Known for his passion for soccer and having played in youth teams in Málaga, the actor is surely thrilled to revive the spirit of 'Pelusa' and the legendary '10' of soccer in the production 'Armadillo United', where he will also reunite with a couple of old acquaintances from Hollywood, actors Danny Trejo and Ruben Blades.

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If the Banderas & Trejo duels had always been intense in thrillers like 'Desperado', 'From Dusk Till Dawn', and the 'Spy Kids' franchise, in this new production they will remain rivals, but will switch to humor and camaraderie as it is a sports comedy where they also share the spotlight with singer and actor Rubén Blades (who worked with Banderas in 'Once Upon a Time in Mexico') and Danay García ('Prison Break'), as announced by the film industry bible 'Variety'.

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Among so many names, the main protagonist of 'Armadillo United' will be a 12-year-old boy, Dante Delgado - the actor's name is yet to be revealed - whose soccer team, which gives the movie its title, competes to participate in the Youth World Cup in Rio de Janeiro. Antonio Banderas will play a character named Diego, "an eccentric ice cream seller who believes he is the legendary Argentine soccer player Diego Maradona and who imparts important football and life lessons to the protagonist." A character that has surely excited the man from Malaga, as upon the death of Pelusa he expressed his "sadness" and his gratitude to the player for "making millions of people around the planet enjoy something as simple as playing soccer."

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As for the rest of the cast, Rubén Blades will play a former professional soccer star who coaches the protagonist's team, while Danny Trejo will portray the coach of the rival club for the title, The Champions.

An MLS team

"The movie is about joy. The joy of being a child, the joy of playing the king of sports, and the joy of bringing this magical story to the world," stated director Alan Jacobs ('American Gun' and 'Down for Life'), who also wrote the screenplay for a film that reflects his passion for soccer. The filmmaker is delighted with the main cast for their "talent" and "spirit of joy," with which he hopes to inspire both the audience and the rest of the cast. "I'm sure that Antonio, Rubén, Danay, and Danny will be a great inspiration for the young members of our cast and for the audience," he confesses, having enlisted the Houston Dynamo, a team from the MLS league in the United States, to participate in the soccer match scenes.

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Produced by Watch LLC and Arca Media, the shooting will start in March at the Troublemaker studios in Austin, Texas, although additional scenes will also be filmed in Brazil and Spain. This provides an opportunity for Antonio Banderas not only to showcase his love for soccer but also his own past as a young player who went through youth categories that cemented his Malaga fanhood for his hometown team. The actor was even coached by one of the great figures of C.D. Málaga, the Argentine Sebastián Viberti, who was one of his childhood idols. "He was my coach. When he ended his professional activity, I played soccer. I was 15 years old. He coached the team I played on in Málaga," he recalled a few years ago during a visit to Argentina, where he stated that Viberti was not only a "good coach" but also a "good person." Banderas himself posted on social media a few years ago his federated football player card from Nacional Sport de Málaga, at 14 years old, when he played as a center forward, and where his real name, José Antonio Domínguez Bandera, can be read. An injury prevented him from continuing his progression in soccer. At the time, he did not know it, but that would mark his destiny as one of the essential actors in the international cast. "Fortunately, I broke my left foot and that led me to get into a play," he confessed. And indeed, the story of young Dante Delgado could well be that of Antonio Banderas himself.