Kid Who Made a Messi Jersey out of a Plastic Bag Finally Meets His Hero and Won't Let Go

Nearly a year ago, a photo of an Afghani child wearing a Messi Argentina jersey fashioned out of a plastic bag circulated the internet. It became a huge story. Messi sent him an actual signed jersey and was set to meet the boy, named Murtaza Ahmadi, but it never materialized.

Eventually, Murtaza and his family had to flee their home for Pakistan due to the publicity surrounding his story. But it all still turned out OK. Messi and Barcelona traveled to Qatar for a friendly against Al Ahli on Tuesday, and Murtaza was able to meet his hero thanks to an assist from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, a UN program designed to protect and support refugees.

First there was a meet and greet with his family:

Remember Murtaza Ahmadi? The guy whose pic wearing a Messi shirt made of plastic went viral.
He met Messi today. pic.twitter.com/m6XFljta80
— Leo Messi (@messi10stats) December 13, 2016

And then Murtaza served as a secondary mascot with Messi at the match later in the day. He was with Messi every step of the way beginning in the tunnel, then during the national anthems. He followed Messi as he shook hands with the referees, and was even by his side for the team photo. Finally, after the ceremonial ball drop, he scooted back to Messi before finally being carried off by a referee.