Screenshots of foreign media reports.
Do you remember the Messi jersey made of plastic bags?
Five years ago, Murtaza, a 5-year-old boy living in a war-torn area in Afghanistan, moved the world with his innocent emotions for football.
The little boy spliced blue and white plastic bags into a Messi jersey for the national team.
When this photo was posted on the Internet, the world's eyes instantly focused on him.
It was this simple plastic jersey that “brought” Murtaza to his idol Messi. As a caddie, he appeared with Messi in the Barcelona friendly match against Ahli.
When the two walked into the court with their hands held together, in the eyes of the outside world, Murtazza's tragic destiny will also usher in qualitative changes step by step.
Video screenshot.
However, after 5 years, the fate of this little boy named Murtaza Ahmadi has not changed.
On the contrary, this Messi’s plastic jersey has brought them many twists and turns.
A few days ago, Murtazza and his family recounted their experiences in recent years in a documentary.
The Murtaza family lives in a small village in Azni Province in eastern Afghanistan.
In that war-torn country, Murtaza's hometown has been harassed by militants.
Almost everyone in the village knows that Murtaza is a big fan of Messi, and he often plays with the small fans of Ronaldo in the village.
But this not-so-rich family cannot afford a jersey.
That plastic jersey was made by Murtaza’s brother inadvertently. He only remembered who found a blue and white plastic bag. He cut it into a jersey and wrote " MESSI 10".
When the younger brother was running in the village wearing it, everyone laughed at him: "Why did you put the plastic bag on your body?"
Relying on the rapid spread of the Internet, Murtazza quickly became a local celebrity, and Messi himself also noticed this innocent boy.
He sent a gift to Murtaza through UNICEF.
In the eyes of Murtaza's brother, it was the two big boxes that Messi sent that inadvertently ruined their lives.
According to their father Arif, when he saw these two big boxes, he felt that one box contained toys for his son, and the other box must contain US dollars.
But to their disappointment, there was only a football and a Messi-signed jersey in the two boxes.
In fact, there are people in the same village who have the same ideas as Arif.
People think that Messi sent a lot of money to their family.
It was from this time that their peaceful life was completely broken.
Murtaza is wearing Messi's jersey.
Arif found that some strangers would quietly follow Murtaza, and some people's congresses wandered around their homes at night.
Even more terrifying is that they received a threatening letter, demanding to hand over all their money, or they would kidnap Murtaza.
At the suggestion of a friend, the Arif family ran away.
He sold his belongings, took his family and fled to Pakistan, and began to seek asylum from the West.
But their application failed. After spending their little savings, the Arifs were forced to return to the village.
At this time, Murtaza's popularity on the Internet gradually dissipated.
Their family seemed to be back to square one.
However, the meeting between Murtaza and Messi in Doha once again gave the Arifs the hope of changing their destiny.
In the consciousness of the locals, as long as you catch a foreigner, then this person will definitely help them.
And the football superstar Ronaldo, who is as famous as Messi, had previously helped a young Syrian fan to take refuge in Spain.
Obviously, Arif also wants Messi to do something for Murtaza.
Messi enters the field holding Murtaza's hand.
In December 2016, Murtazza appeared as a caddie with Messi in the Barcelona friendly match against Ahli.
The moment he saw Messi, Messi gave him a big hug, which made him feel very kind.
Murtaza told Messi: "I want to stay with you, I want to play with you." But because of the language barrier, he did not understand how Messi responded to him.
The day after the game, Murtazza and his family returned to their hometown with good memories.
Arif’s wish came to nothing again: "We all thought that when we went to Doha and met Messi, he would help us like Ronaldo. But he did nothing. He should help Murtaza because he is a man. Big star."
Murtaza interacts with Messi.
The local villagers did not believe that the Arif family had returned from Doha empty-handed.
"People say'you met Messi, he must have given you a lot of money', but in fact, Messi didn't give us a single rupee," Arif's wife said.
Back in the village, the Arifs’ lives became increasingly distressed, and their sons received more and more death threats.
Sometimes, Murtaza would be stopped on the way to school and asked: "Are you that Afghan Messi?"
To be safe, Arif stopped letting Murtaza go to school. He kept his son in the house every day and kept him from going out.
In the end, Murtazza was sent to his uncle's house in the capital Kabul.
But there is no peace there, and Murtazza's life is even harder to say happy.
He said to the camera: "There are explosions everywhere. I have no friends here and no place to play."
The documentary does not tell readers that the Messi signed jersey received by Murtaza will ultimately fate.
Some media reported that this precious jersey had been lost during a chaotic escape in the early hours of the morning.
Last summer, Murtazza returned to his hometown.
Someone asked him: "If you were given another chance, would you still wear that Messi plastic jersey?" Murtaza replied: "Yes, because I love Messi."
Perhaps, Murtaza's future will continue to be spent in displacement.
But I hope that when he grows up, he has experienced wars, turmoil, and felt the warmth and warmth of humanity, and he can maintain his purest love for football.
(Xing Rui)