kuno becker: the world cup
As the star of the Goal! trilogy, Mexican actor Kuno Becker certainly knows a thing or two about the beautiful game.
Becker worked alongside some of the greatest players in the world while filming Goal! The Dream Begins and is in no doubt as to who will be the first name to go on his Official Fantasy Game list. “David Beckham,” he says. “He is my first choice in the opening round, no question.”
In Goal!, Becker shows some fancy footwork of his own in the role of Santiago Munez – a talented young footballer from the barrios of east Los Angeles who dreams of turning professional. His big break finally arrives when he passes a trial with Newcastle United, 6,000 miles from home in the English Premiership.
During filming, he picked up tips and advice from some of the game’s leading lights. The experience clearly left a mark on Becker. “Kaka, Ronaldino and all the greats that I had the chance to work with are truly some of the best players in the world. It is hard to see past that as I was totally exposed to the best the game has to offer. The great thing now is that I can see who has it and who does not.... greatness, that is.”
Apart from acting and football, what really gets Becker’s pulse racing is music. He took up playing the violin when he was just six years old and later studied with maestros Denes Zsigmondi and Rugiero Ricci at the famous Mozarteum in Salzburg, Austria proving that he certainly has more than one string to his bow!
Playing the Official Fantasy Game will be a first for Becker but he is upbeat about his chances of success. “I haven’t had the chance to play Fantasy before,” he says, “but I have no doubt that my side will dominate… after all, it is fantasy!”
As far as the real FIFA World Cup™ goes, the actor, who has a German father and Mexican mother, knows precisely where his loyalties will lie when the tournament kicks off in June. “The fact that Mexico qualified was a tremendous accomplishment but my feelings are the same as all true fans – now that we have made the finals, I want us to win. Que viva Mexico!”
