Football is a game which is treated as a religion to those who follow. No doubt, Lionel Messi is the king of hearts that are uncountable. He is loved by everyone especially by FC Barcelona and Argentina people. They go crazy when they see their favorite football star.

So when someone decides to dress up like him and walk the streets to prank people, it is clear to get out of hand, don’t you think?

A Lionel Messi look alike is out on the streets of Tehran, Iran.

It’s not really him… 👀 pic.twitter.com/4bqt8kf9LI

— Int Football Maniacs (@IFManiacs) May 8, 2017

Iranian student, Reza Parastesh looks so much like Lionel Messi that he thought it would be plenty of fun to walk Iranian city of Hamedan, dressed up like the man himself. This is the only mistake he did as the plan spoiled and landed him in jail for disrupting public order this week.

Messi’s Look-Alike Nearly Lands In Iranian Jail https://t.co/fDWkDTCfXH pic.twitter.com/AzxpE6Cq36

— Esther’s Blog (@EstherAbies) May 8, 2017

So many people came out to take selfies with Parastesh in the western city of Hamedan over the weekend that police rushed him into a station. The resemblance is so uncanny, isn’t it? Reza’s father gave him the idea of the prank.

Reza Parastesh, Messi look-alike Iranian is often approached in the streets for poses in photos with strangers. #Messi #Iran #SpittingImage pic.twitter.com/lAQh6V1ctT

— Rohit Dhawan (@rohdha96) May 9, 2017

The furor began a few months ago when Parastesh’s father pressured the 25-year-old to pose in the Barcelona jersey and sending the pictures to a sports website. In the same way, he came out of the streets of Hamedan to play a prank.

Lionel Messi’s look-alike in Police Custody https://t.co/Us4lF6vB3t pic.twitter.com/w9Oj5tAzhq

— Ukridosblog (@Ukridosblog) May 9, 2017

Despite his early reluctance, Parastesh soon grew into his new role, cutting his hair like Messi and often donning the Barca jersey when he goes out. It has paid off he is fully booked with media interviews and has even landed modeling contracts.

To Reza’s surprise, people of Hamedan started coming in numbers to see him! A lot of them started to plead for selfies and pictures! Soon enough, it got so ‘Messi’ that streets started flooding with Messi fans and police had to intervene. They soon identified him and rushed him to the local police station to clear traffic and prevent chaos in the city.

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

Parastesh said, laughing. His goal now is to meet his hero in Barcelona, and maybe even land a job as his understudy. Parastesh loves football but has never played professionally, though he is working on some tricks so he can better play the role and make more such appearances. To give you a little more perspective, just look at this!

Iranian Reza Parastesh looks so much like Lionel Messi it nearly got him in jail after causing travel chaos as so many people wanted selfies pic.twitter.com/h16NMKo7vS

— Saj Sadiq (@Saj_PakPassion) May 8, 2017

In defense of the people of Hamedan who fell for the prank, we love Messi so much that even a picture with the doppelganger would be sacred.