In January this year Murtaza Ahmadi, 6, became an over night viral star after pictures of him wearing an improvised a number ten shirt Lionel Messi shirt made out of plastic were shared across social media.
Barcelona were in Qatar to play a friendly against Saudi Arabian Al Ahli on Tuesday evening and the meeting was arranged through the UN refugee agency, UNHCR.
Ahmadi, who was given the honour of bringing the match ball out onto the pitch before the match, seized the opportunity to steal another impromptu meeting with his hero.
After placing the ball on the centre circle Ahmadi ignores the referee's attempts to escort him for the pitch before running over to Lionel Messi on the edge of the semi circle.
Ahmadi's once in a lifetime experience was finally cut short when the referee picked the six-year-old up and carried him off the pitch.
Ahmad professed his adoration for the Barcelona star in quotes released by AFP when his story first emerged in January this year.
“I love Messi, he plays well, the shirt was made by my brother and I liked it very much,” he said after being tracked down by the AFP news agency.
“We do not have a football playground near our house, and the only ball I have is punctured.
“I want to be like Messi, when I grow up.”
Murtaza’s father, Mohammad Arif Ahmadi, said he feared that his son would be kidnapped. The family first travelled to the Pakistani capital, Islamabad, but could not settle there because of the high cost of living. They later moved to Quetta.
“I sold all my belongings and brought my family out of Afghanistan to save my son’s life as well as the lives of the rest of the family,” he said in May.
Despite the upheaval, he added at the time: “Murtaza hopes that one day he would be able to meet his hero, Messi.”
Who would have thought that this is where the story would move to next?
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