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From Fairytale to Nightmare: Young Messi Fan Now Taliban Target

Ahmadi’s family had to flee from their home town as Taliban started demanding money from them.

Updated
Football
2 min read
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Remember, the young Lionel Messi fan from Afghanistan, who made headlines in January 2016 after a photo of him wearing a makeshift Messi jersey, a blue-and-white-striped plastic bag with Messi's name and number written on the back, went viral.

Since then, young Murtaza Ahmadi became a recognised name worldwide. Even footballer Lionel Messi took note of the picture and not only sent Murtaza two autographed jerseys but also met his young fan eleven months later.

Normally, global fame changes life for the better but in Afghanistan you pay a completely different price. And young Ahmadi and his family learnt it the hardest way possible. After Ahmadi’s dream meeting with his hero, things became worse for Murtaza and his family.

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Ahmadi’s family had to flee from their home town as Taliban started demanding money from them.
Messi sent Murtaza two autographed jerseys after he saw his picture of him wearing a makeshift Messi jersey.
(Photo Courtesy: Twitter/@UNICEF)

According to Shafiqa, Ahmadi’s mother, the meeting with Messi started the trouble. Many Afghan terror outfits believed that Ahmadi got financial assistance from Messi.

“From the day Murtaza became famous, life became difficult for our family, Not only the Taliban, but some other groups also started thinking that Messi might have given him a lot of money. We stopped sending him to school, and we were being threatened all the time.”
Shafiqa, Ahmadi’s mother to CNN

The family had to flee from their home in Jaghori region in Afghanistan’s Ghazni province after Taliban started demanding money from Ahmadi’s family due to his new-found popularity. They had to go to Kabul to protect themselves from Taliban terrorists. But, leaving their hometown didn’t solve their problem as other terrorist outfits continued to threaten them.

“The Taliban were killing our relatives and they were searching houses. They would stop cars and kill their passengers, searching houses and killing people.” 
Murtaza Ahmadi to CNN
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Ahmadi’s family had to flee from their home town as Taliban started demanding money from them.
Murtaza Ahmadi had walked on to the pitch with Messi in an exhibition match in Qatar.
(Photo Courtesy: Twitter)

Ahmadi, who met Messi when Barcelona played a friendly match in Qatar, misses playing football. The young fan had walked on to the pitch with his idol.

“We were not allowed to play football by the Taliban or even go out of the house. We used to hear the sound of heavy machine guns, and Kalashnikovs, and rockets at home. We also heard people screaming.”
Murtaza Ahmadi to CNN

In this moment of distress, Shafiqa has once again appealed to Messi to help them leave the country.

"I would like Messi to help Murtaza, help us to get out of Afghanistan so that Murtaza can have a better future," Shafiqa requested.

Even seven-year-old Ahmadi echoed his mother’s appeal, “When I was in my hometown, I was not able to wear my Messi jersey because I was afraid someone will hurt me. I want to be taken from this country because there is fighting in here. I want to become a football player like Messi and play with Messi."

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Topics:  Afghanistan   Taliban   Lionel Messi 

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