New Delhi:
Murtaza Ahmadi, the 5-year-old fan of Lionel Messi just got luckier when he got the genuine Messi shirt signed part of a package from the soccer star who's also a UNICEF goodwill ambassador.
The youngest Messi fan became popular when his photo wearing wearing a homemade Lionel Messi jersey made from a blue-striped plastic bag went viral on social media.
Taken in early January, Murtaza’s improvised shirt quickly attracted the attention of of a Lionel Messi fan account on Twitter, which reposted it.
Soon after the Photo went viral, Lionel Messi himself helped the fan account spark an Internet campaign to locate the boy.
After a few days the boy’s whereabouts were located on a farm in a rural part of Afghanistan. It was Murtaza’s elder brother Hamayon, who had helped him make the shirt with Messi's name on it.
Murtaza’s father Arif Ahmadi told a leading daily that since the family live in a poor village which is far from the main city, it was impossible for them to get him the Messi shirt. Murtaza cried for the shirt till his brother made him make one from the plastic bag to make him happy. He stopped crying after wearing that plastic bag shirt.
The photo not only captured the little fan of Lionel Messi but it also showed the boy’s happiness wearing that plastic shirt.
While in the new photos Murtaza holds his hands straight out as he wears his new jersey, one of several Argentine national team jerseys signed by Messi that were sent to him along with a new soccer ball.
The shirt and football were relayed to him by UNICEF which left a strong message for the world “Like so many other children, he has the same right to thrive, play, and practice sports.”
Here's the real kid. His name is Homayoon and he lives in Ghazni province of Afghanistan. pic.twitter.com/WlUzziwFlO
— Leo Messi (@messi10stats) January 26, 2016
