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Meet Reza Parastesh, the Iranian who succeeded in sleeping with 23 women by disguising as Lionel Messi
Reza Parastesh, an Iranian man made the news in 2017 after he faked the identity of former Barcelona forward Lionel Messi and succeeded in sleeping with 23 women who thought he was real.
Reza Parastesh is an Instagram celebrity who has over a million followers. His striking resemblance to Lionel Messi has made him an overnight star.
More so, the Iranian man made the news in 2017 after he faked the identity of former Barcelona forward Lionel Messi and succeeded in sleeping with 23 women who thought he was real.
The 26-year-old has become verified on Instagram, boasting a following in excess of 1.1 million and uses sophisticated edits to drive home comparisons with the man himself.
According to reports, his father once gave him a Barcelona shirt and asked him to pose with it. The result was absolutely fantastic and hilarious at the same time.
Because of their resemblance, Reza Parastesh even cut his hair and grew his beard like the former Barcelona captain, heightening his resemblance to Messi.
The photo quickly went viral, earning Parastesh the moniker “fake Messi.”
When interviewed by AFP in 2017 Parastesh stated that he wanted to be a carbon copy of Messi in every way. But, as Medio Tiempo put it, his fame grew as quickly as his beard (and, of course, Messi’s).
Nevertheless, he got in trouble with the Iranian police because he tried to impersonate Messi by using his resemblance to him.
Despite his sense of humour, Parastesh has expressed his concern about the serious harassment he has faced as a result of this. In addition, he expressed a desire to meet the real Lionel Messi in the future.
Still, he believes his chances are slim, and he admits he doubts the Argentinian legend is aware of his existence.
However, an alarming story emerged, claiming that the viral sensation was using his likeness to Messi to a criminal extent.
“Parastesh, the Messi lookalike, has reportedly slept with 23 women, though his actions have been denounced by the authorities.”
Parastesh denies the allegations
“Hi friends, a piece of false news about me is trending on social media with regards to me sleeping with 23 women because they thought I was Lionel Messi,” Parastesh said to his fans.
“Please do not play with people’s reputation and credibility.
“We are all aware of the fact that if it actually happened to anyone, there would be some complaints and it would lead to my prosecution.
‘Severely harassed’ over the allegations
“That would be a disaster and a calamity of international proportion. If this news was true, I would be in jail right now.
“Do not believe it, it is not true. I am going to do everything to fight this legally and make sure my name is cleared. The news is spreading in Muslim countries and it has been a disaster.
“I was severely harassed because it released the whole world on me. My family also harassed me, but the people’s attack was more influential.”
Known as the ‘Iranian Messi’, numerous images of Parastesh have gone viral and he has been able to use his admittedly uncanny resemblance to his advantage on social media.
Parastesh also posts highlights reels of the real Messi and is believed to have started his career as a lookalike when his father encouraged him to wear a Barcelona shirt.
Having noticed a resemblance, the Iranian has been pulling similar poses to Messi in his photos and was sure to grow a beard in recent years to keep up with his idol’s appearance.
But now, regardless of whether the allegations are true or not, the comparisons have worked tremendously in his favour.