Threats force five-year-old Lionel Messi fan and family to leave Afghanistan

"I sold all my belongings and brought my family out of Afghanistan to save my son's life as well as the lives of the rest of the family."

The family of a five-year-old Afghan boy who received autographed shirts from his football hero Lionel Messi have been forced to leave Afghanistan amid constant telephone threats, the boy's father has said.

Mohammad Arif Ahmadi - whose son grabbed headlines when he was photographed wearing a home-made Argentina shirt with No 10 on the back - said they have moved to neighbouring Pakistan and settled in the city of Quetta, hoping for a better life there.