Is the mercurial new character Zava on popular AppleTV+ show 'Ted Lasso' modeled after Aaron Rodgers?

Is a mercurial new character on popular AppleTV+ show 'Ted Lasso' modeled after Aaron Rodgers?

(Spoiler warning: Events from season 3 of Ted Lasso will be discussed below).

The short answer is "no," but there is another athlete baked into the portrayal of Zava, the enigmatic and talented newcomer to the Richmond FC roster.

Still, a cursory search will find social-media users comparing Zava to Rodgers. Actor Maximilian Osinski does bear some resemblance to Rodgers, and the character also seems to possess some parallel characteristics.

There's even a moment where Zava declines an on-field jersey exchange and a retirement subplot in the most recent episode that landed this week, when Zava disappears from the team and releases a video explaining his intentions.

"Zava has played his last match," he explains. "I will now dedicate all of my time and all of my energy to my family and my avocado farm. If you put your energy into the things you truly love, the universe puts its thing back into you. You're welcome."

Both Osinski and Ted Lasso star and writer Jason Sudeikis said the inspiration for the character comes from another athlete playing a more applicable type of football, Swedish soccer star Zlatan Ibrahimović.

But just for fun, consider these other parallels.

Zava, who meditates in the locker room and often dispenses strange advice that he clearly regards as sage, is first identified as a player wanting to leave Juventus for the Premier League because his wife binged "The Office" and decided she wants to live in England. Not the American of version the show, as Rebecca (Hannah Waddingham) has to remind Ted (Sudeikis).

Rodgers has also proclaimed his love for The Office (the American version) and has even appeared on the show.

Those familiar with Zava agree he's ... shall we say, full of personality ... but effective.

"Zava has played for 14 teams in 15 years, leaving behind nothing but chaos and trophies," says Leslie Higgins (Jeremy Swift), the director of communications for Richmond. "Beautiful, shiny trophies."

OK, so that part might not exactly line up with Rodgers. We're referring to the numerous teams, not the collection of trophies.

Shortly after that reference and in an exchange unrelated to Zava, Ted suggests to Keeley (Juno Temple) that having a get-together outside work might thaw the icy relationships she has with her co-workers. "Maybe I could hire a shaman and we could do a bunch of ayahuasca under a blood moon!" she exclaims. It's a strong possibility that's just a coincidence, but Rodgers' own comments about ayahuasca experimentation have certainly made Packers fans think of the quarterback when someone mentions the plant-based psychadelic.

Rodgers, who has mused about embracing the villain role and spoken about his methods of self-improvement on a regular appearance with the Pat McAfee show, would probably fit in with a player who says things like, "We must ignore these talking faces, even when they are in our favor," referring to soccer media.

"You can be whoever you want to be," Zava says later in the same scene, adding that he lets all his children name themselves at age 7, which is why one child is named "Smingus Dingus."

"Dream big, and you may never wake up."

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Is Zava on AppleTV+'s Ted Lasso modeled after Packers' Aaron Rodgers?