<p>Iranian student Reza Parastesh looks so much like his sporting hero Lionel Messi that it almost landed him in jail for disrupting public order this week.<br /><br />So many people came out to take selfies with Parastesh in the western city of Hamedan over the weekend that police rushed him into a station and impounded his car to stop the chaos and clear traffic.<br /><br />The resemblance is so uncanny that Eurosport UK reportedly used his photo by accident on Twitter recently when talking about the real Messi.<br /><br />The furore began a few months ago when Parastesh’s football-crazy father pressured the 25-year-old into posing in a number 10 Barcelona jersey and sending the pictures to a sports website. “I sent them one night and by the morning they had called me and said I should come in quickly for an interview,” he told AFP.<br /><br />Despite his early reluctance, Parastesh soon grew into his new role, cutting his hair like Messi and often donning the Barca jersey when he goes out.<br /><br />It has paid off — he is fully booked with media interviews and has even landed modelling contracts. “Now people really see me as the Iranian Messi and want me to mimic everything he does. When I show up somewhere, people are really shocked,” he said.<br /><br />Iranians are obsessed with football, and Parastesh finds himself constantly besieged by fans looking for a selfie. “I’m really happy that seeing me makes them happy and this happiness gives me a lot of energy,” he added.<br /><br />Parastesh loves football but has never played professionally, though he is working on some tricks so he can better play the role.<br /><br />He remembers very well the last game between Iran and Argentina during World Cup 2014, when Messi’s 91st-minute goal robbed the Islamic republic of a place in the last 16.<br /><br />Reza’s dad was furious.<br />“After the game, my dad called me and said don’t come back home tonight... why did you score a goal against Iran? I said: But that wasn’t me!” Parastesh said, laughing.<br /><br />His goal now is to meet his hero in Barcelona, and maybe even land a job as his understudy. “Being the best player in footballing history, he definitely has more work than he can handle. I could be his representative when he is too busy,” he said.<br />AFP</p>
<p>Iranian student Reza Parastesh looks so much like his sporting hero Lionel Messi that it almost landed him in jail for disrupting public order this week.<br /><br />So many people came out to take selfies with Parastesh in the western city of Hamedan over the weekend that police rushed him into a station and impounded his car to stop the chaos and clear traffic.<br /><br />The resemblance is so uncanny that Eurosport UK reportedly used his photo by accident on Twitter recently when talking about the real Messi.<br /><br />The furore began a few months ago when Parastesh’s football-crazy father pressured the 25-year-old into posing in a number 10 Barcelona jersey and sending the pictures to a sports website. “I sent them one night and by the morning they had called me and said I should come in quickly for an interview,” he told AFP.<br /><br />Despite his early reluctance, Parastesh soon grew into his new role, cutting his hair like Messi and often donning the Barca jersey when he goes out.<br /><br />It has paid off — he is fully booked with media interviews and has even landed modelling contracts. “Now people really see me as the Iranian Messi and want me to mimic everything he does. When I show up somewhere, people are really shocked,” he said.<br /><br />Iranians are obsessed with football, and Parastesh finds himself constantly besieged by fans looking for a selfie. “I’m really happy that seeing me makes them happy and this happiness gives me a lot of energy,” he added.<br /><br />Parastesh loves football but has never played professionally, though he is working on some tricks so he can better play the role.<br /><br />He remembers very well the last game between Iran and Argentina during World Cup 2014, when Messi’s 91st-minute goal robbed the Islamic republic of a place in the last 16.<br /><br />Reza’s dad was furious.<br />“After the game, my dad called me and said don’t come back home tonight... why did you score a goal against Iran? I said: But that wasn’t me!” Parastesh said, laughing.<br /><br />His goal now is to meet his hero in Barcelona, and maybe even land a job as his understudy. “Being the best player in footballing history, he definitely has more work than he can handle. I could be his representative when he is too busy,” he said.<br />AFP</p>