YEREVAN, JULY 11, ARMENPRESS. Being a celebrity lookalike can naturally cause significant media spotlight as many ordinary people have learnt.

Lebanese-Armenian Artashes Karapetyan is one of them. He has nothing to do with sports and runs a private food-supply business in Lebanon.

Years ago his friends and relatives began mentioning that he very much looks like Lionel Messi – the Argentine football star. And later on, then Artashes grew a beard, the resemblance began kicking in with a lot more force.

People even began calling him Messi.

“It was an odd feeling when I was being called Messi, especially when I was wearing the Barcelona or Argentina football shirts. People were randomly approaching asking for selfies. I am happy that people liken me not just to a football player but to a player who has made history,” Artashes told ARMENPRESS in Yerevan, his first time ever in Armenia.

Artashes has been under local media spotlight in Lebanon in the past year. He is regularly invited to various events, interviews and photoshoots.

He says he is being offered money for making appearances in different events, but he turns it down because he doesn’t want to pursue any commercial goals in this. “I simply make people happy”, he says.

Even during this interview passersby were constantly approaching Artashes, asking to take photos.

Edited and translated by Stepan Kocharyan