A young Afghan boy, Murtaza Ahmadi, captured the world’s attention in 2016 when he was photographed wearing a homemade Lionel Messi jersey made from a blue and white striped plastic bag with ‘Messi 10’ written on it.

 His older brother Hamayoun had posted the image on Facebook, which rapidly went viral and caught the attention of the Barcelona star.

Messi responded by sending Murtaza a signed Argentine shirt and a football. However, this act of kindness unexpectedly led to hostility from Murtaza’s neighbors in Jaghori. 

They speculated that the family might have received money from the famous footballer, leading to disturbing incidents, including threats and people loitering around their house at night. 

Murtaza’s father, Arif, expressed his disappointment that the gifts were merely a shirt and a ball, contrary to the community’s expectations of financial gain.

The situation worsened when the Taliban threatened to kidnap the family, prompting them to seek asylum, which was unfortunately denied. 

Despite these challenges, Murtaza and his family were invited to meet Messi in Doha in December 2016 by Qatar World Cup officials, ahead of Barcelona’s friendly against Al Ahli. Arif hoped this meeting might help Murtaza in the same way Cristiano Ronaldo had assisted Syrian refugee Zaid Abdul.

However, the meeting did not lead to the assistance the family had hoped for. Upon returning to Afghanistan, Murtaza’s dream of meeting Messi turned into a nightmare as the family faced renewed threats and accusations of having received substantial money. Murtaza was eventually sent to live with his uncle in Kabul, about 170 miles away, in the hopes of ensuring his safety.