Eurovision star Sergey Lazarev shares his thoughts on the striking viral comparisons to football legend Lionel Messi ahead of the final.
Who said there is no connection between the Eurovision Song Contest and the World Cup? Recently, the internet has been buzzing over the striking resemblance between Eurovision star Sergey Lazarev and none other than football legend Lionel Messi. What does the singer think about this amusing comparison?
For several years, Lazarev, who represented Russia at Eurovision 2016 and 2019, has been hearing physical comparisons to the Argentine football icon. The resemblance returned to the headlines as Argentina qualified for the World Cup final, making it the perfect time to see what the artist thinks of the comparison. In conversations with Russian media outlets, the singer humorously admitted that he also occasionally notices shared features.
Finding The Perfect Angle
Speaking with the sports website Mash on Sport (Mash ะฝะฐ ัะฟะพััะต), Lazarev explained that the resemblance is mostly visible in specific photos rather than all the time. He shared that it is not so much about overall facial features, but rather a certain camera angle and the tilt of the head.
โThere is a specific head tilt of mine where we really look alike! And sometimes I notice it myself – like… Here, I see Messi’s photoshoots, and somewhere, yes, there is a resemblance. But it’s cool! He is a legendary football player, and if there was an opportunity to meet, I would gladly meet him in person,โ the performer admitted.
It is no wonder that the comparison to Messi is flattering for Lazarev. After all, he is considered one of the greatest football players in history, holding eight Ballon d’Or awards, the title of all-time World Cup top scorer, and a victory in the recent World Cup with the Argentina national team. This is in addition to Champions League victories and dozens of other titles and trophies.
Supporting His “Twin Brother” in the Final
Lazarev shared that due to the resemblance, he decided to cheer for Messi’s team in the World Cup final.
โA few times when I was abroad, people came up to me to take pictures and asked for an autograph, thinking I was Messi. I will watch the final because my son is a football fan. He introduced everyone to football – now the whole family, including my grandmother, watches the matches. My son’s favorite player is Kylian Mbappรฉ, so we supported him too. Now, in the final, everyone will support Argentina or Spain. But since Messi – who looks like me – plays for Argentina, we will probably support them. Of course, after all this Messi comparison business, I will support my ‘twin brother,’โ Lazarev told the website Kinopoisk.
ืืฆืืช ืคืืกื ืื ืืืื ืกืืืจื
Lionel Messi after qualifying for the World Cup Final: What do you think of the comparison?
Russia at Eurovision
“Russian Woman” is the name of the song performed by Manizha in the second semi-final of Eurovision 2021. Russia reached ninth place in the Grand Final with 204 points. Russia has competed in the Eurovision Song Contest 24 times since joining the competition in 1994. To date, Russia has won only once, in 2008, with the song “Believe” performed by singer Dima Bilan. Russia has reached second place four times and third place four times. So far, Russia has failed only once to qualify for the competition’s final. In 2022, the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) decided to suspend Russia’s membership until further notice due to its invasion of Ukraine.
Eurovision 2021: This was Russia’s 24th participation in Eurovision. Russia joined the competition in 1994 and won it once, in Eurovision 2008 with the song “Believe” performed by singer Dima Bilan.
