Everyone knows the world’s famous footballer Lionel Messi. This legendary Argentinian footballer has sports fans all over the world, but this time Messi’s name is in the headlines not for sports but for a fraud case. However, the allegation of this fraud is not on Messi but on a look-alike of his who looks exactly like him. Messi’s mirror image Reza Parastesh has reportedly slept with 23 women, although authorities have condemned his actions.
It began two years back when his father requested him to pose in Messi’s Barcelona shirt, the picture quickly went viral before Parastesh got the nickname ‘fake Messi’. Due to the similarity between the two, Parastesh also got his hair cut and grew a beard like the Barcelona captain, which increased his resemblance to Messi.
Online reports indicate that Reza has refuted accusations of fraud, asserting his innocence. Claims against Messi’s twin have gained traction on social media, prompting Reza to denounce them as falsehoods. In an interview, he expressed concern over the spread of these rumours in Muslim countries, labelling it as perilous. The situation has caused widespread distress for Reza, with his family also facing unwarranted scrutiny.
At 26 years old, Reza Parastesh resides in Tehran and pursues a career in modelling. His rise to fame began when, at his father’s behest, he recreated a photo of Messi in a Barcelona jersey, igniting a viral sensation across social media platforms. This catapulted Reza into the spotlight, earning him recognition not just within his country but globally, earning him the moniker of the Iranian Messi.
On the allegations of fraud against him, Reza released a video on his Instagram and declared himself innocent. In the video, Reza said that he has not done anything like the allegations being made against him. He said that I had relations with 23 women because they thought I was Messi. If this were true, someone would have complained against me, and I would have been jailed.
