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Michael McElhinney and I have never met, but as he walks down the street towards me I recognise him immediately. Two months ago, he was an Irish bricklayer who happened to bear a striking resemblance to an Italian football manager 鈥� today, he is a hotly sought-after lookalike of England manager Fabio Capello.

Already, he has earned more than 拢2,000 from his act, despite the fact that Capello is yet to speak in English in public. Last year, he worked on the blockwork at Wembley, but when England play their first match with Capello in charge next Wednesday, he will be watching from the corporate hospitality area as an after-dinner speaker. Boots has been in touch about a sponsorship deal for his glasses.

鈥淚t鈥檚 been crazy, absolutely crazy,鈥� says McElhinney, as we stroll back to the kitchen extension in Chiswick he鈥檚 been working on. 鈥淚t鈥檚 not stopped. I鈥檝e done about eight different things as Capello already.鈥�

He鈥檚 wearing one of several smart suits he鈥檚 bought for his act, and a replica of Capello鈥檚 frames. The resemblance is quite surreal. Apart from his dark curly hair, McElhinney doesn鈥檛 look particularly Italian 鈥� it鈥檚 more that Capello looks like an Irish brickie.

鈥淒o you think I look like him? Some people get it and some don鈥檛,鈥� he says. Does McElhinney think he looks like Capello? 鈥淪ometimes he does things exactly the same way as I do. There鈥檚 one photo my wife took of me the other day and I鈥檓 like, 鈥榯hat鈥檚 him!鈥欌��

McElhinney had his first taste of stardom last April, when he went to Rome for a wedding. 鈥淎ll the waiters were staring and kept saying 鈥楥apello, Capello鈥�. The bride was pissed off because I was getting more pictures taken than she was.鈥� He claims he didn鈥檛 think any more more of it until his wife saw Capello on TV after he took the England job. 鈥淪he said 鈥榶ou look a little bit like him鈥�. She took one photo and sent it to an agency and they loved it.鈥�

He says his life hasn鈥檛 changed much 鈥� 鈥淚鈥檓 still a brickie, you know鈥� 鈥� although he admits he hasn鈥檛 spent much time on site lately. His family and friends think it鈥檚 brilliant. 鈥淎ll my mates on other sites have called me up and they can鈥檛 believe it. They鈥檙e sitting in the canteen with the paper going 鈥業t鈥檚 Mick! It鈥檚 Mick!鈥欌��

For a man who has suddenly been plunged into the limelight because of a random physical similarity to someone else, he seems to be taking the attention in his stride. He claims he hates having his picture taken, but poses good naturedly for the photographer and mimics accurately the few expressions England fans have seen so far.

He does get fed up sometimes when people won鈥檛 stop pestering him, though. 鈥淭hey say 鈥榩ut your glasses on鈥� when I don鈥檛 want to, in the pubs and stuff.鈥� It must be hard to switch it off? 鈥淵ou have to switch it off or you鈥檙e not being you. At Christmas, everyone wanted a picture but I just said 鈥榥o, it鈥檚 Christmas, it鈥檚 family time. Forget Capello for a couple of days鈥�. You can get quite testy, yeah.鈥�

Fortunately, McElhinney is a football fan. He used to play right back for Hillingdon Irish, and supports Manchester United

and the Republic of Ireland. He takes an interest in England because of its Man U players, he says, and his German Shepherd is called Keano.

Plenty of people will tell you that I have a Latin temperament. But my taxes are fine, thank God

Being Capello鈥檚 lookalike is both a blessing and a curse. On the one hand, the England manager hasn鈥檛 really done anything yet, so McElhinney can get away with a couple of expressions and a few muttered Italian phrases. On the other, there鈥檚 very little to base an act on 鈥� something that may prove challenging when McElhinney is writing his after-dinner speech. He has the glasses and the suit, but he can鈥檛 really learn to speak like Capello until Capello has learned English.

鈥淚鈥檝e learned a little bit of Italian 鈥� I was in Venice two weeks ago trying to pick up a few things,鈥� he says. 鈥淥ne pub we went into, there was a Liverpool fan in there who got the Italians over, and I put on the glasses. There were quite a few photos taken that night. Now they have a picture of me up in the bar.

I ask him if he can do an impression. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 know, can I? You鈥檝e put me on the spot. He doesn鈥檛 do too much, you know.鈥�

The last couple of months have been a period of intensive study. He鈥檚 watched everything Capello鈥檚 done on television and studied loads of pictures. I say I saw a video of Capello throwing a big Latin strop on YouTube. 鈥淵ouTube? I鈥檒l have a look at that,鈥� he says. 鈥淚鈥檒l get him. I will get him good. It鈥檚 only been a month.鈥�

McElhinney doesn鈥檛 think he鈥檚 particularly good at impressions, but he poses like a natural. The photographer keeps cracking up as he looks through the lens 鈥� 鈥淚t鈥檚 really freaky! You look even more like him on camera!鈥� He also seems to be adopting the principles of method acting. He鈥檚 more comfortable in his site clothes than a suit, but it helps with the act. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 why I don鈥檛 mind having my picture taken. It鈥檚 not me they鈥檙e taking.鈥�

Apart from the physical resemblance, he suspects he and Capello have little in common. 鈥淗e鈥檇 be calmer than me and a bit of a rogue.鈥� Does McElhinney have a fiery Latin temperament? 鈥淚 can have. Plenty of people will tell you that. And my taxes are fine, thank God.鈥�

The Godfather is one of his favourite films. 鈥淚 always like the bit where he says 鈥楳ake-a me an offer I can鈥檛-a refuse鈥� 鈥�

鈥淲hata are you lookin鈥� at?鈥� he shouts to his colleagues on site who are sniggering from the sidelines. 鈥淕eta on-a with-a your work-a!鈥�

As Capello, he can earn 拢350 for a few hours work, but bricklaying鈥檚 not a bad living either. 鈥淚t鈥檚 拢160 a day; that鈥檚 why I鈥檝e got to make sure this doesn鈥檛 take over. At the moment, I鈥檓 taking it day by day.

鈥淚f I get pissed off I will junk it all in, but at the moment I鈥檓 enjoying it. As long as he doesn鈥檛 get a skinhead. I feel sorry for the Beckham impersonator, he keeps having to get his hair done.鈥�