They may not be meeting the real Lionel Messi, but Islam Battah’s resemblance to the Barcelona footballer is so uncanny, that the children at an orphanage in the Egyptian city of Zagazig swarm around him in delight anyway. Seeing the excitement his presence causes at such events, the 27-year-old Egyptian painter is happy to pose as the Argentine, wearing a Barcelona shirt and joining in a game of football. “When I started growing my beard, my friends told me that I look like Messi. When I grew my beard even more, the resemblance was clearer,” he said.
Egyptian Messi lookalike thrills soccer-loving orphans
The Egyptian Gazette is the oldest English-language daily newspaper in the Middle East.
It was first published on January 26, 1880 and it is part of El Tahrir Printing and Publishing House.