Man who began surgery at 15 to look like Michael Jackson shares extreme before photos

Blink and you'd think it was the real deal. One Michael Jackson superfan and tribute act looks so similar to the music star that you'd be forgiven for doing a double take.

Argentinian performer Leo Blanco is a lookalike of the 'Thriller' hitmaker who has become well-known over the years through his deliberate and dramatic visual transformation to resemble his music idol.

But in former pictures of him recently shared on social media, he looks almost unrecognisable when compared to now following multiple surgeries.

Blanco has undergone more than 11 surgeries and numerous cosmetic procedures in a bid to emulate the star, who died aged 50 in 2009. He performs as his idol for a living, and said in 2019 that there were 'no limits' to his desire for cosmetic procedures.

“It’s impossible to have just one or two surgeries done, you want more and more," he explained in an interview at the time.

As per the Mirror, Leo has, in the past, had two otoplasty surgeries to reshape his ears, three liposuction surgeries, four rhinoplasty surgeries, and two hyaluronic acid and botox applications for his cheekbones to be more exaggerated. His first surgery took place at age 15.

He previously told Barcroft TV that it was 'very painful' for him to look so different to the star after studying his performances for his own tribute show. He said: "Michael Jackson is much more than an artist for me.

"I watched Michael constantly, I listened to him, I felt him. I felt his essence so this way or the other I absorbed his way of expression, his aesthetic preferences and it was very painful for me to look different than him, so eventually, I said, ‘Why not?'

“I like to think that I am a paste, something that I can mould, something that I can decide about, not satisfy myself with the face that destiny gave me. I can decide how to live and look like. Every surgery is the next step to my objective.

“I feel that the body is a container and I can modify it in an artistic way. Just like when I see a white wall I feel like doing graffiti, to paint, to mark it, the same happened to me with my body.”

Recent snaps shared to social media showed Blanco as a young child, with another previous anniversary post revealing what he looked like pre-surgery.

A post showing as a youngster was shared alongside the caption: "HAPPY DAY TO MY INNER CHILD. Never forget that we are all or were children," followed by another which read: "I am so embarrassed, but here I am 10 years younger."

Dubbed 'The King', recent Instagram posts show how Blanco is continuing to perform, most recently announcing the 'Michael Jackson Live Experience' at the Canning Theatre in Argentina.

The tour announcement boasted 'a monumental show celebrating the universe of the King of Pop' complete with a 'world-class stage production'.