Remember Murtaza Ahmadi, the Afghan child who showed off his homemade Leo Messi jersey earlier this year?
CREDIT: Murtaza.Amahdi10/Instagram
Using a plastic back and a few markers, Ahmadi made a jersey to honor his favorite soccer player. Not only did the jersey receive tons of love from the DIY population, the image went viral and eventually caught the attention of Lionel Messi himself.
Messi, with the help of UNICEF, sent the then five-year-old a legit jersey, complete with autograph.
Murtaza has the real thing now! #LeoMessi helped make his dream come true & gave him signed jerseys & a football. pic.twitter.com/ls6nUOdaBL
— UNICEF Afghanistan (@UNICEFAfg) February 25, 2016
No more plastic bags.
But that wasn’t the end of the story.
Thanks to the Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy, the agency in charge of planning the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, Ahmadi finally got to meet his hero!
A spokesman for SC told reporters, “Murtaza’s dream was to meet his hero. We are in a fortunate position here that we were able to bring them together. It’s about a kid and his dream. That’s it. That pretty much sums up the power of football.”
But that wasn’t all, Ahmadi was invited onto the field to take a photo with Barcelona.
CREDIT: EURONEWS / YOUTUBE
Ahmadi even got to make the official ball placement in the middle of the field.
CREDIT: EURONEWS / YOUTUBE
And when it was time for the game to start, Ahmadi decided he was ready to take on the pros.
CREDIT: EURONEWS / YOUTUBE
Ahmadi joined Barcelona as they were getting ready to start the game.
Messi stepped in to let Ahmadi know that there was a front row seat waiting waiting for him.
CREDIT: EURONEWS / YOUTUBE
But Ahmadi wasn’t about to walk away from his hero.
Finally the referee jumped in and made the most heartwarming ejection soccer has ever seen.
CREDIT: EURONEWS / YOUTUBE
Announcers couldn’t get enough of the Ahmadi, saying, “he obviously thought he was going to play on the pitch, but never mind. He’s going to get a great view for the remainder of the game.”
It started with a plastic bag, some markers, and a whole lot of heart…
… but Ahmadi got to experience his dream come true.
In a short statement, Ahmadi told the SC, “I’m very happy to have met my hero. It is a dream for me. I can’t wait to see Messi at the game, it will be the first time for me in the stadium.”
READ: 1 Plastic Bag Made Soccer Dreams Come True For This Little Dude
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