A young Afghan boy, who captured the hearts of millions when he was pictured wearing a plastic bag he had turned into a Lionel Messi shirt, he received a signed jersey from the Barcelona football star.

Murtaza Ahmadi, 5, attracted global attention when a picture emerged of him playing football wearing a blue and white plastic bag with Messi’s name and number written on the back.

The boy was found in Afghanistan earlier this month after his picture became an internet sensation and was given two autographed shirts and a signed football from the iconic player by UNICEF workers, his father Arif Ahmadi told CNN.

Arif said it was “one of the happiest moments” of the five-year-old’s life.

“Murtaza has the real thing now,” the organisation tweeted. “Leo Messi helped make his dream come true & gave him signed jerseys & a football.”