A Lionel Messi lookalike accused of tricking 23 women into having sex with him while pretending to be the Barcelona star slammed the rumours as 'fake news' - and still loves to imitate the Argentine
Lionel Messi will no longer face Cristiano Ronaldo in a blockbuster friendly (Image: AFP via Getty Images)
Lionel Messi will not face Cristiano Ronaldo in Al-Nassr’s friendly against Inter Miami.
Billed as the ‘Last Dance’ between two of football’s greatest ever players, the legends were set for what could have well been their last showdown on February 1 at the Kingdom Arena Stadium, Saudi Arabia. Unfortunately for fans, Ronaldo was unable to recover from an injury in time for the clash, meaning he will watch on from the sidelines when the two teams meet.
But elsewhere in the Middle-East, the people of neighbouring Iran are already used to the presence of Messi. Well, kind of.
You may or may not be familiar with Reza Parastesh - dubbed the Iranian Messi. Reza, who lives in Iran, is a celebrity in his country for the simple reason that he bears an uncanny resemblance to the World Cup-winning Argentina captain.
He has accumulated a whopping 1.1million followers on Instagram, having first gone viral in 2017, three years after the real Messi scored a wondergoal against Iran to leave Team Melli’s World Cup dreams in tatters.
Reza Parastesh is the doppelganger of former Barcelona and Argentina footballer Lionel Messi (Image: AFP via Getty Images)
But the 31-year-old’s fame has not been all sunshine and rainbows. That is due to wild accusations emerging that he used his appearance to fraudulently get his way into bed with Messi fans. In 2019, Spanish publication Marca claimed Reza conned an astonishing 23 women into having sex with whom they thought was at-the-time Barcelona captain Messi.
Reza categorically denied the rumours in an exclusive interview with Daily Star Sport in 2022, though they spread like wildfire on social media nonetheless, helped by Match of the Day presenter Gary Lineker sharing the story to his millions of followers.
The social media phenomenon himself said: "Spreading this false news is unforgivable in my opinion. I don't have an international lawyer to pursue this matter and take it to court.
"Fake news" surrounding his sexual exploits was reported by Marca (Image: AFP/GETTY)
“This news affected my work and my public and social position adversely. This was the worst fake news they made for me and I even don't know why.
"Put yourself in my place. You’re living in a Muslim country and this false news is spread, what will happen? Do you know that this sentence carries the death penalty in my country?
"This will be a national disaster. Of course, many people would know that this was fake news and you won't find even one person who makes such a claim against me."
Reza Parastesh's fame grew with Lionel Messi winning the 2022 World Cup in neighbouring Qatar (Image: Instagram/@rezaparastesh)
Still, Reza has not allowed the negative rumours to affect his lifestyle, regularly performing skits and appearing in adverts due to his fortunate appearance. Naturally, he was swarmed by fans hoping for selfies when Ronaldo arrived in the country ahead of Al-Nassr’s Asian Champions League clash with Persepolis in September.
The Real Madrid legend’s arrival in Tehran caused a standstill across the nation as Ronaldo-mania took over the streets. But in a video shared to Reza’s Instagram page, fans could be heard saying: “Who needs Ronaldo, we have Messi here,” as they sought to catch a glimpse at the lookalike.
A year prior, he was held aloft by adoring Argentina fans as they partied in the streets after winning the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. The jubilant Iranian revelled in the attention, holding his arms up as Argentinians hailed him and sang Messi chants.
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