Messi lookalike almost ends up in jail

Football icon Lionel Messi's uncanny lookalike almost ended up in jail - with the Iranian student disrupting public order after being mobbed by fans.

Messi's doppelganger, Reza Parastesh, bears an incredible resemblance to the Barcelona star and decided to dress up as his idol around the Iranian city of Hamedan.

But Parastesh was bombarded for so many selfies that it caused police to rush him to the local station and impound his car to preserve public order and clear the traffic.

The stunt, which occurred over the weekend, came about after the 25-year-old's football-fanatic father urged him to pose in a number 10 Barcelona jersey and send the pictures to a sport website.

"I sent them one night and by the morning they had called me and said I should come in quickly for an interview," Parastesh told AFP.

And despite his early reluctance, Parastesh swiftly grew into his role of making more of an effort to look like the Argentine star.

"Now people really see me as the Iranian Messi and want me to mimic everything he does," he said. 

"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."

Parastesh has pledged to maintain his beard and hair, to resemble Messi's, and is now focusing on meeting his idol and maybe even becoming 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," Parastesh said.