PHOTO: Boy wearing plastic bag Messi jersey located in Afghanistan
A single viral photo has the power to transcend borders.
A photo of a little boy wearing a plastic bag made to look like Lionel Messi's Argentina jersey sent social media users on a chase to find him:
Tremenda imagen. Un niño en Irak se las ingenia para jugar con la camiseta de su ídolo. The Beautiful Game. pic.twitter.com/O7iMtX1bhe
— Juez Central (@Juezcentral) January 16, 2016
The little Messi fan is Murtaza Ahmadi, a 5-year-old from a rural area in Afghanistan, according to the BBC. It was originally reported that the boy was from Dohuk, Iraq.
(Photos courtesy: BBC)
Azim Ahmadi, living in Australia, has posted pictures of his nephew Murtaza who he says is the boy in the original photo. Murtaza's father Arif confirmed to the BBC that the photo is of his son, and was taken by his older son Hamayon, who posted it on Facebook.
"This little kid really loves Messi and football. It is not possible for us to buy (a jersey) for him because I am a simple farmer," explained Arif. "So the kids decided to use the plastic."
Arif added, "He heard from friends who have internet. They called and told us about it. My younger son is also hoping that foreign countries help us meet Messi and if we could be good football players like him in the future."