WATCH: Lionel Messi lookalike in Iran welcomes attention

TEHRAN, Iran (Kurdistan24) – A man in Iran has received worldwide attention for his resemblance to footballing superstar Lionel Messi.

Reza Paratesh, from Tehran, has been called Messi’s doppelganger by football fans around the world.

Paratesh is often stopped on the streets by people who mistake him for the Argentinian superstar.

The Iranian lookalike said he was given the nickname “Messi” when he was a child.

“The first person who encouraged me to dress like Messi and pose as him was my father,” Paratesh revealed.

“He said, ‘Do it, you’d be successful,’” he continued.

Although Paratesh said he had not undergone surgery to look like the Barcelona player, he admits to trimming his beard similar to Messi’s.

When dressed in a Barcelona or Argentina shirt, his identical resemblance leaves people in shock who think it’s the real footballer.

“When I first saw him from a distance, I really thought it was Messi,” a young football fan said. “Until I got closer and realized it was [Paratesh].”

However, Paratesh said his striking similarity to Messi hasn’t always been positive.

“When Iran and Argentina played, and Messi’s goal kicked Iran out of the international game, my father called me and said, ‘Don’t come home tonight,’” he smiled.

“It was as if I was the one who had scored the goal,” Paratesh laughed.

Editing by Ava Homa