Ahmadi said, "It would be amazing if Messi could arrange for my son to meet with him and help him to become a soccer star and, perhaps, build a stadium in our district to promote soccer to other budding young players."

Messi's father, Jorge Messi, said his son is aware of the photos that made waves on social media and "wants to do something" for his young fan.

On Monday, the Afghanistan Football Federation said Messi is keen to meet with Murtaza as soon as possible, although no date or venue has been finalized.

Federation spokesman Sayed Ali Kazemi said, "Messi has been in touch with the federation to set up a meeting with the young boy. "

"We are working to see whether Messi will come to Afghanistan, if the boy will travel to Spain, or if they will meet in a third country."

XINHUA — AFP