INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Image copyrightAFP / UnicefImage caption
Murtaza Ahmadi with a signed Messi shirt, which was sent to him after being
photographed in a homemade version
A young Afghan boy who became famous online for his devotion to footballer Lionel Messi
has been forced to flee his home for the second time
Murtaza Ahmadi, now aged seven, went viral in 2016 after being photographed wearing a homemade Messi shirt, fashioned out of a plastic
bag.He later met his hero in Qatar
His family say they have now abandoned their home in Afghanistan, after receiving threats from the Taliban.They were living in the
south-eastern Ghazni province - which militants have been targeting - and have escaped to the capital, Kabul.They previously sought
short-term refuge in Pakistan in 2016, but returned when they ran out of money, according to the AFP news agency
The makeshift shirtMurtaza was five years old when he wore a plastic-bag shirt in the white-and-blue colours of the Argentine national team,
It had the player's number 10 drawn on the front with a marker pen
Image:A photo of five-year-old Murtaza Ahmadi wearing a homemade Lionel Messi shirt went viralAfter a photo was shared widely on social
networks, people called for him to be found so Messi could respond
When the boy's name was released, the player sent him a package - including a signed shirt - via the children's charity Unicef, for which he
Murtaza was later invited to meet Messi when the Barcelona star played a friendly in Doha in late 2016
The young fan walked out on to the pitch with his idol
The Taliban threats However, his family say they fear the fame has made him a Taliban target
"Local strongmen were calling and saying, 'You have become rich, pay the money you have received from Messi or we will take your son'," his
mother, Shafiqa, told AFP.She said they were not able to take any of their belongings - including the precious shirt - when they left their
home in the middle of the night after hearing gunshots
Image copyrightEPAImage caption
Murtaza, his parents and his four brothers are living in one room in a shared Kabul
apartment
A home under siegeMurtaza's family are part of the Shia-denominated Hazara ethnic group, which has been targeted
by the Sunni Taliban.The Ghazni area remains under state control, but it is considered to be of strategic importance in the conflict between
the government and the Taliban
The hard-line Islamic group launched a major assault on the area in August and renewed their efforts in November, forcing thousands of
Hundreds of people - civilians, soldiers, and insurgents - were killed in the outbreak of violence
Murtaza's 17-year-old brother, Humayoon, told Efe news agency that they had not been able to send him to school for the past two years and
they do not let him play in the street."I miss Messi," Murtaza said, when AFP found him in Kabul
He said he hopes to meet him again one day
"When I meet him, I will say, 'Salaam' and 'How are you' Then he will reply saying thank you and be safe, and I will go with him to the
pitch where he will play and I will watch him."Image:Lionel Messi looked after Murtaza on the pitch
