To be perfectly honest, their faces are quite different. The resemblance is not there. But somehow, it doesn’t matter that much.
Once you see him in motion, however, the resemblance is quite striking. He might be a different sort of imitator: not a doppleganger per se, more of a kinetic double.
His name is Daniel Gonzales, he is 35, and he comes from Las Toninas, a town in the Argentinian coast. Right now, he’s outside of the Maracana stadium posing for pictures and receiving spare change for it. “Enough for eating, showering and coming back here,” he says. Things are slow, though: “There is no World Cup atmosphere. Everything is too settled down.” According to his Facebook page, he is happy just being near the stadium. Surely someone from the Argentine squad could throw a ticket his way, since he’s so selfless a promoter. But he’ll probably just have to settle for being one of the must hugged tourists in Brazil.
If you are in Brazil, don’t forget to stop by and hug “Pelusa.” And, please, leave some money in the box.