The family of an Afghan boy who captured the world's attention with his Messi football shirt made from a plastic bag are living in fear that the Taliban will kill them, his mother has said.

Murtaza Ahmadi, nicknamed 'Little Messi', moved the world in 2016 when a picture emerged of him wearing a blue and white striped plastic bag with Barcelona great Lionel Messi's name in pen on the back.

The photograph caused a viral sensation and the seven-year-old was even invited to meet his idol and given two signed shirts and an autographed football.

Murtaza Ahmadi moved the world in 2016 with his love for Barcelona great Lionel Messi when pictures (above) emerged of him wearing a blue and white striped plastic bag, with the star's name on the back

Murtaza Ahmadi's dream came true when he met Barcelona great Lionel Messi in Qatar in December 2016 (pictured)

But this was also the day things started to get worse for his family.

When the Taliban invaded his home district of Jaghori in Ghazni province, they banned residents from playing football. They weren't even allowed to leave their homes unauthorized.

Murtaza, by then well-known at home and abroad, became an easy target because of his fame.

His mother Shafiqa told CNN: 'From the day Murtaza became famous, life became difficult for our family.

'Not only the Taliban, but some other groups also started thinking that Messi might have given him a lot of money.

'We stopped sending him to school, and we were being threatened all the time.'

Murtaza (pictured) and his family abandoned their home in southeastern Ghazni province in November

He was forced to flee after the Taliban warned they will 'cut him to pieces' if they capture him.

'The Taliban were killing our relatives and they were searching houses. They would stop cars and kill their passengers, searching houses and killing people,' Murtaza told CNN.

'We used to hear the sound of heavy machine guns, and Kalashnikovs, and rockets at home. We also heard people screaming.'

Murtaza and Shafiqa eventually escaped to the city of Bamyan and later to the capital Kabul, but they haven't seen Murtaza's father since the day they fled and can only speak to him on the phone.

'It would have been better if Murtaza hadn't gained fame,' Shafiqa said.

She revealed that she lives in fear of her son being kidnapped because of his association with the millionaire Argentinian footballer.

But Shafiqa appealed to Messi once again, this time to help the family leave Afghanistan so that Murtaza can have a better future.

'When I was in my hometown, I was not able to wear my Messi jersey because I was afraid someone will hurt me. I want to be taken from this country because there is fighting in here. I want to become a football player like Messi and play with Messi.' Murtaza told CNN.

The Barcelona star carried Murtaza Ahmadi, then aged six, in his arms at a specially arranged meeting in Doha, Qatar in December 2016

After images of his plastic Messi jersey went viral, Murtaza met his idol in Qatar (pictured)

The family's situation is even graver than some because they belong to the Shiite-denominated Hazara ethnic group, who were targeted by the Sunni Taliban in their November operation in Ghazni.

The family's lives are at risk both in their hometown and in the capital of Kabul - so much so that Shafiqa only lets Murtaza play with his friend inside the house.

The Ahmadi family fled their home as quickly as possible in the middle of the after hearing gunshots and had no time to take any belongings.

The UN says up to 4,000 families fled, with witnesses describing 'absolute terror'. Hundreds of civilians, soldiers, and insurgents were killed in the fighting.

The family lives under precarious conditions, with inadequate shelter, food, water or sanitation available to the refugees

Sports were rarely tolerated under the 1996-2001 Taliban regime, and the Kabul football stadium was a well-known venue for stonings and executions.

Shafiqa said she hid her famous son's face with a scarf to prevent him from being recognised as they fled.

They took refuge first in a mosque in Bamiyan, before arriving in Kabul six days later. Among their belongings left behind are the football and jersey signed by Messi.

Although Afghan security forces have beaten back the Taliban in Jaghori, the family has said they no longer feel safe.

'The danger of the Taliban coming back is high, going back is not an option,' Shafiqa said.

'Local strongmen were calling and saying, "You have become rich, pay the money you have received from Messi or we will take your son",' she said.

The family are among the thousands of similarly uprooted people struggling to get by in Kabul, and also living with the fear that the Taliban are hunting for their famous son (right)

'At night we would sometimes see unknown men, watching and checking our house, and then the calls. During the days, we wouldn't dare let him outside home to play with other children.'

The family have already fled once before, to Pakistan in 2016, where they sought asylum in 'any safe country'.

They returned reluctantly to Jaghori after their money ran out, Shafiqa said.

Murtaza's father Arif remains in Jaghori working as a farmer while his family lives in Kabul under precarious conditions, with inadequate shelter, food, water or sanitation available to the refugees.

They are among the more than 300,000 Afghans - 58 percent of whom are under the age of 18 - who have fled their homes due to violence since the beginning of this year alone, according to the most recent tally by the UN's agency for humanitarian affairs.

Homayoun, Murtaza's eldest brother who made him his plastic jersey, says that even in Kabul he is afraid. 'We are worried something bad will happen if they know who Murtaza is,' he said.

Little Murtaza, meanwhile, says he misses his football and his jersey from Messi.

'When I meet him, I will say, 'Salaam' and 'How are you?' Then he will reply saying thank you and be safe, and I will go with him to the pitch where he will play and I will watch him.'