Watch: 6 year old Afghan Boy Meets His Idol Lionel Messi & Refuses To Leave

It was an image that touched the hearts of millions: A five-year-old Afghan boy wearing an improvised Lionel Messi jersey made from a plastic bag. In January this year, pictures emerged of five-year-old Murtaza Ahmadi wearing a blue-and-white striped plastic bag to emulate the colours of the Argentinian team. On the back of the bag was scrawled the legend: “Messi 10”. The boy became famous instantly.

The boy was tracked down to Afghanistan's eastern Ghazni province and efforts were made to bring this adorable fan and Messi together.  A video tweeted on Tuesday by the organisers of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar shows the Argentinian star meeting the adorable Murtaza, now six, and posing for photographers. According to the tweet, the meeting was arranged through the UN refugee agency, UNHCR. Murtaza and Messi met in Doha and the boy and the boy, being such a huge fan, refused to let go off his favorite star. This video will surely touch your heart:

The boy’s unexpected fame has not been entirely welcome. After receiving constant telephone threats, the family was eventually forced to flee to Quetta in neighboring Pakistan.

Murtaza hopes that one day he would be able to meet his hero, Messi.