Look: This Iranian student looks exactly like Lionel Messi

There's no one in the world quite like Lionel Messi ... or so it was once thought.

The Barcelona star has been called everything from superhuman to alien, such is his mastery of the skills of football. While he is oft-imitated, no other player has managed to capture Messi's magic on the pitch. But off it? We might have a winner, folks.

Meet Reza Parastesh, an Iranian student who bares an uncanny resemblance to the diminutive Argentine. Parastesh was recently taken in by Iranian police for causing too much of a ruckus in the city of Hamadan as he strolled around in a No. 10 Barcelona shirt on a dare from his father.

"Now people really see me as the Iranian Messi and want me to mimic everything he does," Parastesh told AFP, as quoted by BBC Sport. "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 may have the looks, but does he have the skills? On that front, the 25-year-old admitted he's working on a few tricks to play the role better.

(Photos courtesy: Getty Images)