A FRENCH TV station accidentally used a picture of Lionel Messi’s Iranian lookalike instead of the Barcelona star after he joined the fight against coronavirus.
Broadcaster M6 hilariously used a picture of the Argentine’s doppelganger during a serious piece about his work to help tackle Covid-19.
⚠️ Read our coronavirus live blog for the latest news & updates
A French TV channel accidentally used a picture of Messi’s lookalike
M6 confused Lionel Messi and Iranian lookalike Reza Parastesh
Messi had earlier donated £920,000 to help beat the killer bug – and has since volunteered to take a 70 per cent pay cut.
Reporting on the Argentine legend, 32, giving money to charity, the French TV show flashed a picture of who they thought was Messi along with Roger Federer.
The Swiss tennis legend, 38, also made a generous donation to help those in need.
But unfortunately for whoever sourced the photo of “Messi”, they made a monumental blunder, instead showing off Iranian man Reza Parastesh.
Dead-ringer Paratesh was alerted to the gaffe and had his say on Instagram.
He captioned a screngrab of his picture up on the screen with Fed: “It is my picture that the authentic French network (m6) mistakenly used instead of Messi.”
Paratesh even calls himself the “Iranian Messi” in his Insta bio.
The Iranian has made something of a name for himself in recent years thanks to his uncanny resemblance to arguably the greatest footballer of all time.
In 2017, he was almost jailed for disrupting the public order after he was mobbed by fooled fans.
CORONAVIRUS CRISIS – BE IN THE KNOW
Get the latest coronavirus news, facts and figures from around the world – plus essential advice for you and your family.
To receive our Covid-19 newsletter in your inbox every tea time, sign up here.
To follow us on Facebook, simply ‘Like’ our Coronavirus page.
And last summer he was forced to deny allegations he had slept with 23 women by pretending to be Messi.
Argentine superstar Messi has since further shown off his generosity.
As well as donating £920,000 to charity, he has also taken a 70 per cent pay cut in order to help Barcelona pay the rest of their staff as the financial repercussions of coronavirus take their toll.
Lionel Messi says Barcelona players will take 70 per cent pay cuts and front club staff’s wages amid coronavirus crisis
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
