The Big Lead

Timothee Chalamet played soccer with an MLS 'Foot Mozart' while growing up

By Joe Lago

December 9, 2023; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; American-French actor Timothee Chalamet during the third quarter of the in-season tournament championship between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Indiana Pacers at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-Imagn Images
December 9, 2023; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; American-French actor Timothee Chalamet during the third quarter of the in-season tournament championship between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Indiana Pacers at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-Imagn Images / Kyle Terada-Imagn Images
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Timothee Chalamet's betting acumen became one of the sports stories of the year with his freakish accuracy while making picks on ESPN's "College GameDay," and it's becoming abundantly clear that the actor's athletic passion runs deep because he continues to share just how much he loves the games and the competition.

On the podcast of comedian Theo Von, the 28-year-old Chalamet revealed that he grew up playing soccer with Nashville SC winger Alex Muyl, who was "naturally more talented than anyone we played with."

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"I played ball with him growing up, and he was just gifted," Chalamet said. "It's tough. ... It's like that "Last Dance" Chicago Bulls documentary. Some of those guys could be partying all night and then like Dennis Rodman will drop 40. I can work my ass off, but if you don't have the gift of physical talent, athleticism, you're cooked."

"Yeah, some people are a damn Foot Mozart out there," Von said.

"Alex Muyl is a Foot Mozart," Chalamet said. "Yes. Absolutely."

Chalamet grew up in New York with Muyl, who was a product of the New York Red Bulls academy and played four seasons with the club. In 2020, he was traded to Nashville, where he has spent the last four years as a fixture in the starting lineup and totaled 11 goals and nine assists in 127 games.

With all of Chalamet's recent viral sports moments, it's surprising he hasn't starred in a movie about an athlete. However, he just finished a movie about the life of table tennis star Marty Reisman, and he is just now regaining his eyesight after wearing special contact lenses that "basically f---ed up" his vision.

With his soccer background, Chalamet has to be on the lookout for good footy scripts. With all the rave reviews over his performance playing music icon Bob Dylan in "A Complete Uknown," perhaps a Cristiano Ronaldo biopic could be in Chalamet's future.

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