Feature: Afghan mini-Messi overjoyed with signed jersey from FC Barcelona superstar

"I like Messi and Messi likes me too," soccer legend Lionel Messi's young Afghan fan Murtaza Ahmadi, who just received two jerseys from the FC Barcelona's global superstar through UNICEF a day ago, was beside himself with joy.

"I know this because as well as signing his name on my jerseys he wrote I love you,' " an excited Murtaza told Xinhua in an interview on Friday.

"I am overjoyed today and don't know how to express my happiness, my dream came true, my hero gave me not one but two signed shirts."

"My thoughts that Messi likes me as much as I like him were right, because he sent his jerseys for me to change my plastic bag jersey to real ones," said the five-year-old, beaming with joy.

Murtaza became an instant internet star last month after his photos dressed in a makeshift Messi jersey fashioned from a blue and white plastic bag were posted on Facebook by his elder brother Hamayon.

Living in a poor village in the mountainous Jaghori district of Ghazni province, Murtaza, who at such a tender age already possesses some of his hero's silky skills, dreams of becoming a soccer star like the Argentinian luminary one day.

After the photos of the little fan were posted online, countless internet users and curious journalists tried to identify the young boy and locate his whereabouts.

Initially, an Iraqi television airing the footage of the child, claimed that the boy was from Kurdistan in Iraq.

But among such inquisitive journalists to spot the little Afghan soccer aficionado was Xinhua reporter Rahmat Alizada -- the first to brave the journey to visit the mountainous Jaghori district -- and meet Murtaza Ahmadi face-to-face at his parents' residence, with the industrious reporter's pictures with the young soccer sensation soon going viral on social media platforms like Twitter.

After locating the small boy in his home village, Xinhua's Alizada contacted Messi via a fan page on Twitter in a bid to let the Argentine superstar know about Murtaza and his unbelievable admiration for both him and FC Barcelona.

The Xinhua reporter, also hailed by the international press and global social media users, also provided the contact number of Murtaza's father Arif Ahmadi to Messi so that the five-time FIFA Ballon d'Or winning star could personally contact him.

The little kid, known as Messi-e-Kochak (mini-Messi) among villagers and playmates, received two signed shirts printed with Messi's revered number 10 and a soccer ball from the magnanimous star in Kabul.

UNICEF, on behalf of Messi, handed over the thoughtful gifts to Murtaza.

Expressing gratitude to the football genius for his generosity, Murtaza's father, Arif Ahmadi, told Xinhua his son dreams of meeting Messi in person some day.

The proud father also suggested that the Barcelona camp could help construct a football stadium in Afghanistan to help soccer fans promote the game and peace through the sport in the conflict-ridden country.

The young lad could convey a message of peace to Afghan children through soccer and to the wider global community, said the proud father. Enditem