Dream come true: Afghan boy finally meets idol Lionel Messi

For the six-year-old Murtaza Ahmadi, 2016 began with a photograph of him wearing a Lionel Messi “jersey” made out of a plastic bag going viral. On Tuesday, the young fan met the Barcelona superstar.

Who says dreams don’t come true. Just ask young Murtaza Ahmadi.

Six-year-old Murtaza Ahmadi met Barcelona superstar Lionel Messi in Doha, Qatar. (TWITTER)

For the six-year-old Ahmadi, 2016 began with a photograph of him wearing a Lionel Messi “jersey” made out of a plastic bag going viral. On Tuesday, the young fan met the Barcelona superstar.

Barcelona are in Doha, Qatar to play a friendly against Saudi champions Al Ahli and Ahmadi will walk out on to the pitch with Messi.

Ahmadi, who comes from the Jaghori District, in the eastern Ghazni province of Afghanistan, became an internet sensation when elder brother Homayoun, 15, made him the blue-and-white-striped plastic shirt with Messi’s name and team number scrawled in marker pen and posted the photos on Facebook.

The Argentine superstar sent him a signed jersey in February and expressed his desire to meet the young fan, who was forced to flee the country to Pakistan in May.