The pearly white teeth are the same, so are the wrinkles around his eyes when he smiles. And the neat side-parted haircut is unmistakable – it can only be German national football captain Bastian Schweinsteiger.
But there's something different about him. Instead of sporting Die Mannschaft's white shirt, with a newly emblazoned fourth star to commemorate victory in Brazil in 2014, Schweinsteiger is wearing a Wehrmacht uniform.
Photo: Screenshot www.did.co
In his hand, instead of a football or the world cup, the toy soldier which company DiD sell under the name 'Bastian' is carrying a metal military supplies box.
But the company insist the resemblance is a complete coincidence.
“We don't sell any figures which resemble footballers. It is a complete coincidence that the figure 'Bastian' looks like Schweinsteiger,“ a spokesperson told Bild newspaper.
The confusion lies in the typically German features of the Germany captain, the firm insisted.
“We think that all Germans look like that,” the spokesperson said, pointing out that the fact that they have the same name has little significance.
“Bastian is a very common name in Germany,“ the spokesperson said.
But this logic seems to have fallen on deaf ears in north England where Schweinsteiger earns his living for Manchester United. The midfielder has told Bild he is already preparing legal action against the company.
Asides from the Wehrmacht soldier, the company also sell British and American soldiers as well as a figure called “John Chicago Gangster“ which bears a striking – but no doubt coincidental – resemblance to Johnny Depp.
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