Lionel Messi keen to meet young Afghan kid who dressed as Argentina star in blue-and-white striped plastic bag

 Murtaza Ahmadi wore a plastic bag to resemble Argentina's Lionel Messi
 
The five-year-old had Messi's name and 'No 10' scrawled on the back
Social media photos of the youngster went viral - attracting Messi's eye
 
The Afghanistan Football Federation say Messi is keen to meet his fan
 
No date or venue has so far been finalised as of yet though

Barcelona star Lionel Messi is hoping to arrange a meeting with an Afghan boy who shot to fame after pictures of him dressed in a striped plastic bag jersey went viral, Kabul's football federation said on Monday.

Five-year-old Murtaza Ahmadi idolises the Argentina forward but a jersey of his favourite player is beyond the means of his poor family in the volatile province of Ghazni near Kabul.

His older brother Homayoun, 15, made him the blue-and-white-striped plastic bag with Messi's named scrawled in marker pen and posted the photos of Murtaza wearing it on Facebook in mid-January.

  Murtaza Ahmadi went viral after he was pictured in a striped plastic bag to resemble his idol Lionel Messi

 

The Afghanistan Football Federation say that Messi has been in communication to arrange to meet Ahmadi

Ahmadi's, who idolises Messi, 'kit' was created by his older brother Homayoun

Jorge Messi, Lionel's father, said on Saturday that the footballer was aware of the photos that made waves on social media and 'wants to do something' for his young fan.

The Afghanistan Football Federation (AFF) on Monday said Messi was keen to meet Murtaza as soon as possible, though no date or venue has so far been finalised.

'Messi has been in communication with the federation to set up a meeting with the young boy,' said AFF spokesman Sayed Ali Kazemi.

'We are working to see whether Messi will come to Afghanistan or the five-year-old will travel to Spain or they will meet in a third country.'

Messi wants to meet the Afghan boy who wore a blue-and-white-striped bag with his name on the back

There was no immediate comment from FC Barcelona.

Setting up a meeting in Afghanistan, in the grip of a fierce Taliban insurgency, is fraught with security challenges.

The Spanish embassy in Kabul have said it would do whatever possible to facilitate a meeting in a European destination.

Murtaza's father, a poor farmer in Ghazni's Jaghori district, admitted he could not afford to buy him a replica jersey, adding that Murtaza only had a punctured ball to play with.

Messi's dad, Jorge says his son is aware of the photos of Ahmadi and wants to do something' for his young fan

Photos of the boy wearing the improvised Messi jersey - made from grocery bags discarded by their neighbour - has touched a chord with football fans around the world.

Sport was rarely played under Taliban rule, and the football stadium in Kabul was a notorious venue for executions, stonings and mutilations.

Football and cricket are the two most popular sports in the war-ravaged country. 

Messi (centre right) runs with the ball during Argentina's World Cup semi-final against Holland in July 2014