Dream comes true, Murtaza meets Messi

Chandigarh, December 13

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Murtaza Ahmadi, the young Afghan boy who turned into an online celebrity after being photographed wearing a replica of Lionel Messi’s Argentina jersey made out of a plastic bag earlier this year, has finally met his hero. According to Qatar’s 2022 World Cup organising committee, the six-year-old met the FC Barcelona star and Argentina legend at Doha. “The image the world wanted to see,” tweeted the committee on Tuesday. “The six-year-old boy who dreamed of meeting his hero, #Messi, finally comes true.”

La Liga giants Barcelona are in Qatar to play a friendly match against local side Al Ahli on Tuesday and young Murtaza was likely to walk out on the pitch with the star footballer. A photograph of Murtaza wearing the shirt made from a striped blue plastic bag bearing Messi’s No. 10 had gone viral in January. Murtaza, who belongs to the Jaghori district in the eastern Ghazni province of Afghanistan, was given two autographed shirts and a signed football by the iconic player through UNICEF workers.  “I love Messi, and my shirt says Messi loves me,” Murtaza had told the UNICEF workers after he received the prized gift. Earlier, the Afghan Football Federation had said Messi’s charitable foundation was trying to set up a meeting between Messi and Murtaza. — TNS