Five-year-old Murtaza Ahmadi is now sporting an official Lionel Messi jersey with a personalized message from the soccer star himself.
Photos of the young Afghan boy wearing a homemade Lionel Messi “jersey” went viral after they were posted to Facebook in January.
The jersey, made from a striped plastic bag with Messi’s name and number written in with marker, was made by Murtaza’s older brother.
READ MORE: Young Afghan boy with Messi jersey made of plastic bag will meet his idol
Murtaza’s father, Arif Ahmadi, said he didn’t have the means to buy his Messi-obsessed son an official jersey or a new ball.
![Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day.](https://globalnews.ca/wp-content/themes/shaw-globalnews/images/skyline/national.jpg)
Get daily National news
“He asked me to find a real shirt for him with Messi’s name on it,” Ahmadi told Radio Free Europe. “I ‘said how should I bring such a shirt for you?’”
The Afghanistan Football Federation got in contact with Messi and was able to connect the mini-Messi to the real deal.
According to UNICEF Afghanistan, Murtaza said, “I love Messi and my shirt says Messi loves me.”
– with files from Rebecca Joseph
- Daughters of Russian tycoon worth $18B want off Canada’s sanctions list, but minister says no
- Summer’s hottest accessory? Trump-inspired ear bandages take over RNC
- Renowned ‘Top Chef Masters’ star Naomi Pomeroy dead from tubing accident
- Dubai princess appears to divorce husband in mysterious Instagram post
Comments