Only one Lionel Messi? Turns out, there’s quite a few

PARIS – As Argentine superstar Lionel Messi leaves Barcelona and looks set to sign for Paris Saint-Germain, he takes with him a legacy which has inspired a legion of lesser-known players who have been compared, often against their will, to the 34-year-old.

AFP Sport looks at a Messi for every occasion:

The Arabian Messi: Omar Abdulrahman

— The UAE international wears the number 10 shirt, just like the real Messi, and has won a clutch of awards in his time, including Asian Player of the Year.

Now 29 years old, Abdulrahman, easy to spot with his Afro hairstyle, has spent all of his career in the UAE, mostly with Al Ain although he once had a two-week trial with Manchester City.

Media in the Gulf dubbed him ‘the Arabian Messi’; on his better days that has even…