Lionel Messi Set To Meet Afghan boy, Murtaza Ahmadi, Who Wore Plastic Bag Jersey

By Devon Newport (devon.newport@mstarsnews.com) | Feb 03, 2016 01:10 PM EST

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Last month, a picture of an Afghan boy wearing a plastic bag as a Lionel Messi Jersey--it was colored with the vertical blue and white stripes of the Argentina national team, with Messi's name and number written on the back--began circulating around the Internet, eventually going viral. Fast forward a couple of weeks and it looks like the boy--Murtaza Ahmadi, a 5-year-old boy who lives in rural Afghanistan--may be getting the opportunity to meet the man who inspired the jersey.

The Afghan Football Federation said it is planning to set up a meeting between Messi and the boy--ideally in Afghanistan, but if that's not possible they'd be willing to help the boy travel to Spain, or even a third country.

"The management of the Afghan Football Federation (AFF) has received e-mails from Lionel Messi and FC Barcelona regarding the meeting," said Syed Ali Kazemi, the federation's spokesman.

The boy had begun asking his father for a Messi jersey, but his father was unable to financially provide one.

"He kept crying for days asking for the shirt until his brother Hamayon helped him make one from the plastic bag to make him happy," Murtaza's father, Arif, told CNN. "He stopped crying after wearing that plastic bag shirt."

He also became something of a global sensation; he's got a real celebrity now--CNN has even traveled to his hometown to take his picture and ask him questions. A far cry from just weeks ago, and something that has brought great joy to Murtaza.

"I feel very happy that he is famous now," Ahmadi said. "He is really excited that his pictures are everywhere now. He wants to become a football player in the future and go to school ... he wants to meet Messi."

And now, thanks to the power of the internet and the vast reach of social media, it appears as though he may just get that wish.

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