From Facing Messi and Ronaldo to Non-League: Fernando Forest

A chilly Saturday afternoon unfolds at the Hebburn Sports and Social Ground in Tyne & Wear, where some fans already shuffle toward the exits. Oxford City holds a commanding 3-0 lead in the 81st minute when their new signing enters the pitch. Fernando Forestieri, a 36-year-old Argentine forward who once shared pitches with Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, and Zlatan Ibrahimovic, makes his debut in England’s sixth tier before 873 supporters.

The contrast strikes immediately. Forestieri played before 72,000 fans at Real Madrid’s iconic Bernabeu Stadium during his career peak. Now he operates in National League North, a world away from the Champions League stages and packed stadiums that once defined his professional life. The gap between those experiences spans continents, competitions, and decades of football evolution.

“It was like a tennis match, the ball going one way one second, then the other way the next,” Forestieri told BBC Sport after his new club, nicknamed the Hoops, secured a seventh win in 11 games to sit third in National League North.

FA Cup Dreams Against Leicester City

On Friday, Oxford City host Leicester City in the first round of the FA Cup, with Forestieri looking to inspire the non-league club to a famous victory over the League One Foxes. The match kicks off at 19:45 GMT, bringing together a former Watford and Sheffield Wednesday forward with a club that has struggled through back-to-back relegations from the Premier League and Championship.

The timing carries poignant symbolism. Ten years ago, Leicester famously won the Premier League title in one of football’s greatest underdog stories. That same season, Forestieri helped Sheffield Wednesday reach the Championship play-off final, where the Owls lost to Hull City at Wembley. Three years earlier, in 2013, Forestieri played a role in a dramatic goal that sent Watford to Wembley at Leicester’s expense in the Championship play-offs.

“There’s a big gap between what Leicester did 10 years ago and where they are now,” Forestieri said. “Why can’t Oxford City cause an upset? This is what the FA Cup is all about.”

A Career Among Football’s Elite

Forestieri’s curriculum vitae reads like a tour of European football’s grandest venues. He encountered Barcelona, Messi, and Ibrahimovic while playing for Malaga in Spain’s top flight in 2009-10. Five years ago, he shared the same pitch with Ronaldo when Juventus played Forestieri’s Udinese team in Serie A. His career highlights include scoring against Inter Milan for Siena in 2008, a moment that demonstrated his ability to compete at the highest level of Italian football.

“You never forget being on the same pitch with these big players,” Forestieri added. “Messi, Ronaldo, Ibrahimovic… unbelievable skills. I’m very lucky. Being that close to them you remember their first touch, their vision.”

Forestieri grew up playing football on the streets of Rosario, the same Argentine city that produced Messi. The connection to that footballing heritage runs deep, linking his personal journey to one of the sport’s greatest-ever players through shared geography and cultural roots.

A Foxes Fan’s Perspective on the Upset

Scott Pollock, a 25-year-old midfielder who joined Oxford City in July, believes the non-league side can cause problems for his beloved Leicester. The National League North club welcomes the former Premier League and FA Cup winners to The MGroup Stadium on their artificial pitch, creating home-field advantages that could prove decisive. Pollock tried out for Leicester as a goalkeeper when younger, only to be turned down before switching to an outfield position.

“It just felt like it was meant to be as a Leicester fan myself,” Pollock told BBC Radio Oxford. “Away (from home) would have been nice but I feel that at home we have a good chance of going through.”

Oxford City reached the first round proper for the first time in four years, narrowly beating Torquay United in the final qualifying round. Pollock carries personal experience of an Oxford City shock, having been a Northampton Town player in 2020 when the part-time Hoops beat their League One opponents 2-1 in an FA Cup giant-killing.

Pressure Favors the Underdogs

Leicester struggles in their League One campaign following consecutive relegations from the Premier League and Championship. The pressure mounts on the third-tier Foxes to deliver results, while Oxford City operates free from expectations, playing with house money in front of their home supporters. Pollock emphasizes this psychological advantage, noting how the artificial pitch and familiar surroundings shift the balance slightly toward the part-time club.

“There’s just a feeling of excitement among us really,” Pollock added. “The pressure’s on them to do well in the league and in the cup – we’re at home and we know the pitch so it favours us in that aspect. That being said, we know they’re a good team so we have to be up for it. Oxford City have done cup upsets before and there is no reason why we can’t do it again.”

From YouTube to Television

Pollock’s journey to this FA Cup moment took an unconventional path through YouTube. Spencer Owen co-founded Hashtag United with his brother Seb Carmichael-Brown in 2016 and ran an academy series on their channel in 2017. Pollock won the series, played for Hashtag’s first team, and starred in a charity match called the Wembley Cup, where his man-of-the-match performance earned him a trial at Premier League side Crystal Palace.

A year later, he moved to Northampton, making 29 senior appearances and scoring two goals. His path demonstrates how modern football creates opportunities through digital platforms, allowing talented players to showcase their abilities outside traditional academy systems. Now he stands alongside a veteran like Forestieri, ready to test themselves against professional opposition in the competition that defines English football’s romantic spirit.