An Afghan child who was spotted wearing his own homemade Argentina shirt may meet his hero Lionel Messi.

Five-year-old Murtaza Ahmadi became an internet sensation wearing a blue and white striped carrier bag with Messi's name and number 10 written on the back.

Afghan federation spokesman Sayed Ali Kazemi said officials hope Messi can come to Afghanistan to visit the boy, but otherwise they will arrange to send him to Spain, where Messi plays with Barcelona, or arrange a meeting in a third country.

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The pictures that were shared across the world

Pictures of Murtaza playing soccer near his home in eastern Ghazni province showed him wearing the plastic bag - in blue and white stripes like the Argentina national team shirt - with Messi and 10 written in black marker.

Murtaza is reportedly the son of a poor family living in remote Joghori district.

Arif Ahmadi, Murtaza's father, said he and his family only have solar power and the boy has seen Messi on TV.

"He (Murtaza) asked me many times to buy a Messi shirt," Mr Ahmadi said. "I couldn't provide for him. Later, his brother made him this plastic shirt and posted his photo on Facebook."

Messi has met with children in special circumstances in the past. In 2011, he met and kicked around a ball with a 10-year-old boy who had had both legs amputated because of Laurin-Sandrow syndrome. He did the same a year later with a Brazilian boy who was born without feet.

Murtaza was in Kabul on Tuesday, wearing some Barcelona gear under his homemade shirt while running through some soccer drills at the national stadium.

"The Spanish embassy is ready to issue visas for them," said Keramuddin Karim, the president of the Afghanistan Football Federation. "We are trying to make contact directly with Barcelona to arrange the meeting, where, when and which date."

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Martaza Ahmadi, a five-year-old Afghan Lionel Messi fan, center, poses for a photo with a football team, at the Afghan Football Federation Stadium in Kabul