A man started a fight outside a Darlington pub after being told he looked like footballer Joey Barton.
Shaun Beckwith, 21, and Maxwell McStravick, 40, came to blows after Beckworth told McStravick he looked like the Marseille footballer.
The two men admitted in court to threatening behaviour outside of the Tap and Spile pub, Darlington, on March 8.
As reported by the Northern Echo, they were both sentenced to a 12-month community order with 80 hours unpaid work plus £45 costs and a £60 victim surcharge.
Controversial midfielder Barton signed for French club Marseille early in the season on loan from QPR following a colourful career in England during which he spent two and a half months in prison for assault during a night out in Liverpool.
At the time of the attack, he was already on bail for attacking former Manchester City team-mate Ousmane Dabo and he also stubbed out a cigar in the eye of a youth-team player at the club in 2004.
"It's certain that where I am, there is always a little bit more noise and exaggeration," Barton said recently after clashing with team-mate Kassim Abdallah during training.