There’s A LAD In Iran Who Is The Spitting Image Of Lionel Messi

Reza Parastesh was pressured to don the number 10 Barcelona jersey after his dad thought he looked like the football superstar.

He chucked on the jersey and sent a few pictures to a sports website. The 25-year-old was shocked when they immediately replied asking him to come in for an interview.

That's when everything changed for the student.

He's since cut his hair like Messi and is studying his mannerisms to make him seem like the real deal. Reza often will wear the Barcelona or Argentina jersey when he goes out and constantly gets stopped for selfies.

He says being Messi's doppelganger is seriously paying off. He's landed modelling contracts and continually gets booked for interviews.

Reza told The Daily Mail: "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,

"I'm really happy that seeing me makes them happy and this happiness gives me a lot of energy."

در كنار يكي از مجري هاي خوب و دوست عزيزم آرش رضواني #messi #rezaparastesh #areshrezvani #bisim

riza parastish ( Messi Irani ) (@rezaparastesh_) 分享的帖子 · 2017-02-2，10:10 PST

But it hasn't been all smooth sailing for Reza. Despite his dad pressuring him into becoming Messi's lookalike - things turned sour during the FIFA World Cup in 2014.

Messi scored a goal for Argentina in the 91st minute against Iran, knocking the Middle Eastern country out of the last 16. Reza's dad called him and told him not to come home that night.

He also nearly wound up in jail for disturbing the peace. Apparently, he drew massive crowds when walking through the Iranian city of Hamedan and police were called in to rush him to a nearby station. They also impounded his car to help clear traffic.

Jam Jam in the interview that you can see online مصاحبه در جام جم كه ميتونين در جام جم انلاين مشاهده كنيد #messiirani #messi #messiiranian #barcelona #jamejam http://jamejamonline.ir/sport/2826474931875352180

riza parastish ( Messi Irani ) (@rezaparastesh_) 分享的帖子 · 2017-05-2，1:01 PDT

While Reza's profile continues to grow, his ultimate goal is to meet his lookalike.

He says: "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."