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.
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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.
“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