Look: Tokyo FC hire Iniesta imitator to make up for his absence

Tokyo FC have an interesting solution for Andres Iniesta's expected absence in this weekend's match against the former Barcelona star's new team, Vissel Kobe.

To avoid disappointing the sellout crowd hoping to get a glimpse of the Spanish legend at the Ajinomoto Stadium on Sunday, the J-League side hired Iam Noda of Japan as an Iniesta impersonator to entertain supporters.

Unsurprisingly, there's not a whole lot of similarities between Iniesta and Noda, who appears to have used a marker to draw on a beard. However, he does appear to also be experiencing some male pattern hair loss.

The club confirmed the stunt in a statement, saying that Noda will join their mascot in entertaining fans.

The real Iniesta, who has appeared in two matches for Vissel Kobe since joining the club this summer, is expected to return to action Aug. 11.