Afghan child's makeshift Messi jersey goes viral

A young boy in Afghanistan has become a media sensation after photographs of his makeshift soccer jersey, made out of a plastic bag, went viral on the Internet.

Murtaza Ahmadi had been asking his family for a team jersey of his favourite soccer player, Barcelona’s Lionel Messi, for some time, his father told Reuters on Friday. But he said such a present was outside the means for the family living in rural Ghazni province.

So Murtaza and his siblings made their own.

The photographs shared with Reuters by the family show a happy Murtaza showing off his creation, complete with “Messi” and the player’s team number, 10, displayed on the front and back.

Murtaza’s media attention has been a “source of pride” not only for them, but all Afghans, his father said.