04:23Messi doppelganger spotted selling cigarettes in Iraqi Kurdistan
A lookalike of FC Barcelona superstar Lionel Messi has been hustling a living selling cigarettes in a bazaar in Duhok, in the Kurdistan region, as filmed on Sunday.
Omer Husamedin gained fame in 2018 when a local TV station reported on him. Since then, he has gone on to copy Messi's hairstyle and facial hair, even wearing his shirt while he sells his cigarettes, making approximately $10 (€8.45) per day.
"Duhokian people really like Messi, and they always want to talk about Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo," Husamedin explained. His Messi image encourages people to buy cigarettes from him, but he is almost fed up of discussing football.
"I have been living in Duhok for almost eight years now. What people told started disturbing me because all they told me was if Messi would go to another football club or not. Now people laugh at me and remind me of the eight goals referring to the eight goals in the match between FC Bayern Munich and FC Barcelona. People advise me to visit Messi, but I cannot. There is a vast difference between Messi and me; he is a trillionaire, but we look alike a bit, and that is all," he said.
Husamedin said selling cigarettes is his main source of income, which he spends on accommodation.
"If I work well and get enough money, I can get a room from a hotel. If not, I have to look for somewhere else to stay in for that day," he said.
04:23A lookalike of FC Barcelona superstar Lionel Messi has been hustling a living selling cigarettes in a bazaar in Duhok, in the Kurdistan region, as filmed on Sunday.
Omer Husamedin gained fame in 2018 when a local TV station reported on him. Since then, he has gone on to copy Messi's hairstyle and facial hair, even wearing his shirt while he sells his cigarettes, making approximately $10 (€8.45) per day.
"Duhokian people really like Messi, and they always want to talk about Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo," Husamedin explained. His Messi image encourages people to buy cigarettes from him, but he is almost fed up of discussing football.
"I have been living in Duhok for almost eight years now. What people told started disturbing me because all they told me was if Messi would go to another football club or not. Now people laugh at me and remind me of the eight goals referring to the eight goals in the match between FC Bayern Munich and FC Barcelona. People advise me to visit Messi, but I cannot. There is a vast difference between Messi and me; he is a trillionaire, but we look alike a bit, and that is all," he said.
Husamedin said selling cigarettes is his main source of income, which he spends on accommodation.
"If I work well and get enough money, I can get a room from a hotel. If not, I have to look for somewhere else to stay in for that day," he said.