TOPSHOT - In this photograph taken on January 29, 2016, Afghan boy and Lionel Messi fan Murtaza Ahmadi, 5, wears a plastic bag jersey as he plays football in Jaghori district of Ghazni province. A five-year-old Afghan boy has become an internet star after pictures went viral of him wearing an Argentina football shirt made out of a plastic bag, complete with his hero Lionel Messi's name. AFP PHOTO / AFP / STR (Photo credit should read STR/AFP/Getty Images)STR/Getty Images

Murtaza Ahmadi, Afghan Lionel Messi Fan Who Wore Plastic Bag, Exiled by Taliban

Rob BlanchetteMay 3, 2016

Murtaza Ahmadi, the five-year-old Afghan boy who became famous worldwide for making a Lionel Messi shirt from a plastic bag, has reportedly been forced into exile by the Taliban.

The boy's father, Mohammad Arif Ahmadi, told the Associated Press (via FoxSports.com) on Tuesday that he has had to flee Afghanistan with his son after receiving threats, fearing kidnap.

The boy received signed shirts from Messi after the media published photos of him wearing a homemade Argentina shirt with the icon's name and number written on it, creating huge interest as the images went viral.