World Cup Fans Can't Stop Comparing Mauricio Pochettino to Russell Crowe
The United States men’s national team has enjoyed a dream start to the 2026 FIFA men’s World Cup.
The USMNT fielded a masterful performance, arguably the best outing by the U.S. men in its history and came away with a 4-1 win over Paraguay to open their first World Cup run on U.S. soil since 1994. They followed that up with a thorough 2-0 win over Australia, marking the first time the USMNT has won two consecutive matches at a World Cup since 1930.
By winning the first two matches, the USMNT qualified for the knockout stage and Paraguay’s defeat of Turkiye secured the U.S. as the Group D winners. They’re in remarkable shape, and they’ve even convinced Zlatan that they can win the whole thing.
Should the USMNT ultimately hoist the Cup, a biopic will assuredly follow.
And fans already know who should play USMNT manager Mauricio Pochettino: Oscar-winning actor Russell Crowe.
“Mauricio Pochettino has mysteriously turned into Russell Crowe,” commentator James Melville posted on X.
“Pochettino is actually Russell Crowe from ‘The Nice Guys’ no wonder he's cooking,” another fan wrote on X.
CBS Sports posted a lovely Instagram video of Pochettino describing how emotional he became after his team defeated Australia, but the comments section wasn’t safe from the Russell Crowe agenda.
“Is it just me or does he look like Russell Crowe?” a user named Kendra wrote.
“When did Russell Crowe start coaching?” a fan named Jonathan posted.
“Argentine Russell Crowe has the boys getting after it!” another unnamed account wrote.
It’s not just you, Kendra. Pochettino is well aware of his designated doppelgänger.
The USMNT posted this video across all social feeds with the caption, “Yes, we’ve seen the Russell Crowe comparisons.”
In it, Pochettino is asked to add himself to the team’s photo wall, but someone handed him a Polaroid of Crowe instead. Pochettino breaks into laughter before joking, “Am I better looking? Much more handsome.”
If Pochettino can lead the USMNT to its first-ever World Cup title, he will be considered the most beautiful man alive. PEOPLE is already planning his cover shoot.
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This story was originally published June 20, 2026 at 3:26 PM.