However, Murtaza’s uncle and some Afghan youths set the record straight online and correctly identified one of Messi’s youngest fans and his locale, as being in the mountainous district of Jaghori in Ghazni province.
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Murtaza is a dedicated Lionel Messi fan.
So his brother helped him write Messi’s name and number on a blue and white plastic bag, which resembles Messi’s jersey.
However, Messi could be on the verge of making Ahmadi’s dream come true by bringing their worlds together, at least for a short time.
The Afghanistan Football Federation (AFF) on Monday said Messi was keen to meet Murtaza as soon as possible, though no date or venue has so far been finalized.
“The management of the [AFF] has received emails from Lionel Messi and FC Barcelona regarding the meeting”, a representative Syed Ali Kazemi was quoted as telling the news agency EFE.
The Afghan Football Federation has confirmed Messi is hoping to meet one of his most famous fans.
Jorge Messi, Lionel’s father, told AFP on Saturday that the footballer was aware of the photos that made waves on social media and “wants to do something” for his young fan.
With his room adorned with Messi’s posters and playing outside in the chilly winter, the kid known locally as Messi-e-Kochak (junior Messi) among villagers and playmates, said he loved playing football and practising Messi’s skills when playing with friends.
Murtaza, whose father admitted he could not afford to buy him the real thing, said he had only a punctured ball to play with in his village in Ghazni province.
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Messi, who recently won his fifth Ballon d’Or award as the world’s best player, is expected to meet the boy at the Camp Nou, Barcelona’s home ground.
