Barcelona forward Lionel Messi wants to meet plastic bag shirt boy Murtaza Ahmad

Barcelona star Lionel Messi is hoping to arrange a meeting with the young Afghan boy whose plastic bag 'shirt' went viral.

Murtaza Ahmad, 5, was pictured wearing a blue and white plastic bag with 'Messi 10' scrawled on the back, making him an internet hit.

The youngster idolises the the Argentina forward and he could have his dream of meeting Messi come true.

The Afghanistan Football Federation (AFF) have been in touch with Messi's representatives with the aim of organising a meeting between the child and the footballer.

"Messi has been in communication with the federation to set up a meeting with the young boy," AFF spokesman Sayed Ali Kazemi told AFP.

"We are working to see whether Messi will come to Afghanistan or the five-year-old will travel to Spain or they will meet in a third country."

Due to security issues in Afghanistan it could be problematic for Messi to travel to the remote area where Murtaza lives.