Afghan Messi fan, 7, flees Taliban threats

AN AFGHAN boy who gained international fame for his devotion to the footballer Lionel Messi has been forced to flee his home for a second time amid the threat of militant attack – leaving behind a prized signed jersey and football.

Murtaza Ahmadi, seven, and his family are living in Kabul after they and hundreds more sought refuge from intense fighting in south-eastern Ghazni.

They say they are struggling to make ends meet and live with the constant fear that the Taliban may be looking for them.

There is little prospect of them returning soon, leaving Murtaza without his beloved football and jersey. “I want them back so I can play,” he told AFP.

An image of Murtaza wearing a plastic bag fashioned into a Messi shirt went viral in 2016 leading to the boy, dubbed “Little Messi”, meeting his idol in Qatar and the signed jersey and ball.

However, the attention brought threats. “Local strongmen were calling and saying, ‘You have become rich: pay the money you have received from Messi or we will take your son’,” said Shafiqa, his mother.