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It was an image that touched the hearts of millions: A 5-year-old Afghan boy wearing an improvised Lionel Messi jersey made from a plastic bag.Now, nearly a year later, Murtaza Ahmadi has finally met his idol.Murtaza made a special trip from Afghanistan to Qatar, where Messi was with his Barcelona teammates to play a friendly match against Al Ahli on Tuesday.In a meeting arranged by the organizing committee of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, Messi held hands with Murtaza at the team hotel before picking up the boy and posing for photographs. Murtaza was wearing a Barcelona jersey.Im very happy to have met my hero. It is a dream for me, said Murtaza, in quotes supplied by the World Cup organizing committee.Murtaza, who is now aged 6, will walk out onto the field with the five-time world player of the year before Tuesdays match.The boy became an internet sensation early this year when pictures of him playing near his home in eastern Ghazni province were widely circulated. They showed him wearing a plastic bag -- in blue-and-white stripes, like the Argentina national team jersey -- with Messi and the No. 10 written in black marker.A few weeks later, Messi sent signed Barcelona and Argentina jerseys to Murtaza.Murtazas father, Mohammad Arif Ahmadi, said in May that the family was forced to leave Afghanistan amid constant telephone threats and fears that Murtaza would be kidnapped because of his sudden notoriety.Life became a misery for us, said the father at the time, speaking to The Associated Press over the telephone from the Pakistani city of Quetta, where the family had settled.The meeting between Messi and Murtaza comes at a time when Qatar is introducing long-expected reforms to policies governing its vast foreign-labor force, who labor and human rights activists say are open to abuse by the current system.Qatar says it is abolishing the kafala sponsorship system that binds workers to their employer. Rights groups say the changes fall far short of what is needed to protect the multitudes of mostly Asian low-wage workers transforming the tiny country.---This story has been corrected to show that Murtaza Ahmadi was 5 years old, not 6, when the original photo was taken.Tommy McDonald Youth Jersey . Halifax beat the Saint John Sea Dogs 7-5 on the strength of two goals apiece from Nikolaj Ehlers, Matt Murphy and Brent Andrews. Jonathan Drouin also scored and had three assists while Zachary Fucale made 17 saves for the Mooseheads (16-8-0), who led 6-1 after two periods. Brian Dawkins Jersey . Brazilian national coach Luiz Felipe Scolari has confirmed that the veteran goalkeeper is set to join Toronto on loan, saying it will help him be ready for the World Cup. http://www.eaglesrookiestore.com/Eagles-Tommy-Mcdonald-Jersey/ . Following a lopsided 5-2 loss against the New Jersey Devils on Wednesday night, Paul MacLean told reporters that "theres a lack of focus, theres a lack of leadership and theres a lack of preparation" with his struggling team. That came on the heels of Bryan Murray taking the unusual step of going into the locker room at the Prudential Center and addressing the players himself. Andre Dillard Jersey . It is a cliché dragged out by fans and pundits regularly when discussions take place around which teams are better than others. JJ Arcega-Whiteside Eagles Jersey . PAUL, Minn.NEW YORK -- Dwyane Wade left his defender in the dust with a vintage crossover that brought players on the Chicago bench and fans behind them to their feet.Hes still got some `ahh in his bag, teammate Jimmy Butler said. Very impressive.So are the new-look Bulls.Butler scored 22 points, Wade had 12 in the first road game of his career not played for Miami, and the Bulls improved to 3-0 by beating the Brooklyn Nets 118-88 on Monday night.With Wade and Rajon Rondo in a revamped backcourt, the Bulls opened with home victories against Eastern Conference playoff teams Boston and Indiana before easily handling their road opener, leading by as many as 33 points.We only played a little bit together in the preseason, so were still learning each other right now. Were only three games in, but we see it looking good at times, Wade said.The Bulls had seven players in double figures, with Wade becoming the last of them when he blew by Bojan Bogdanovic with that crossover and was fouled on a drive to the basket in the fourth quarter.Nikola Mirotic had 16 points and 10 rebounds, while Taj Gibson added 14 points and 11 boards for the Bulls.Bogdanovic scored 15 points and Jeremy Lin had 14 for the Nets, who fell to 1-3.Butler made all five shots as the Bulls built an 18-point lead after one quarter that grew to 25 in the second. Chicago led 93-66 after three, leaving the crowd with little to cheer in the fourth beyond Wades smooth moves.The Nets first three games had all been decided by single digits -- they had actually outscored opponents 328-326 despite starting 1-2 -- but they were never in this one after the opening minutes.It was just poor energy right from the start, center Brook Lopez said. Obviously there is no excuse for the way we played.Butler and Gibson were a combined 9 for 9 in the first quarter as the Bulls got a number of easy baskets while playing at the quicker pace they are using since adding Wade and Rondo.It didnt show in the preseason, but I dont know whats gotten into us, Rondo said. We turned things around.The Netss, who entered averaging an NBA-high 37.dddddddddddd3 3-point attempts per game, were 5 for 31 (16 percent) behind the arc.TIP-INSBulls: G Michael Carter-Williams left with what coach Fred Hoiberg said was a sprained left knee in the first half and did not return. Hoiberg said the reserve guard will have an MRI on Tuesday. ... The Bulls have won four straight in Brooklyn, tied with Miami for the longest current winning streak.Nets: Coach Kenny Atkinson said guard Randy Foye, who hasnt played yet because of a strained right hamstring, was progressing well. Also sidelined was backup guard Greivis Vasquez, who felt soreness in his right ankle Saturday at Milwaukee. Atkinson said Vasquez was day to day. ... The Nets fell to 6-7 on Halloween. They havent won on the holiday since beating the Bulls in 2007.LOPEZ LEDGERRobin Lopez improved to 8-6 against twin brother Brook. The two, who rarely speak when playing each other, didnt even acknowledge each other in the moments before the opening tip. Brook stood with his back to Robin before beating him to win the jump.VALENTINES DAYRookie Denzel Valentine, the college player of the year last season at Michigan State, scored his first NBA points with a 3-pointer midway through the fourth quarter after replacing Wade.BROOKS BACK TO BACKSBrook Lopez, who has battled foot problems during his career, sat out Saturday in Milwaukee on the second night of a back-to-back but Atkinson was vague when asked about the plan. Theres an overall plan and then on a game-to-game basis you might have to adjust that depending on a lot of things, he said. To get into specifics like that is a little difficult, but we like the plan we put in place. Again, Brooks on board, were on board.UP NEXTBulls: Visit Boston on Wednesday. The Bulls beat the Celtics 105-99 on Thursday at home in their season opener.Nets: Host Detroit on Wednesday in the second game of a four-game homestand. ' ' '