Lionel Messi

In a very erratic performance, Barca fell behind early on to an Eliaquim Mangala header but levelled the game through Luis Suarez. Mangala then went from hero to villain as he was sent off for a professional foul on Suarez and Messi scored from the penalty spot.

However, Luis Enrique's men struggled to adapt defensively to their 3-4-3 formation and Munir, who is on loan at Valencia from Barca, sensationally equalised just before half-time. The visitors dug in, but Messi and Andre Gomes scored in the second half to win the points.

Murtaza Ahmadi was shown dressed in a blue-and-white-striped plastic bag with Barcelona and Argentina star Messi's name and number etched in pen on the back in January.

The image, which garnered global attention after it was posted on a Messi fan site, sparked a manic search by fans to find the six-year-old from Jaghori, southwest of Kabul.

Now, almost 11 months later, a series of images and videos posted on social media by Qatar 2022 Supreme Committee Tuesday showed Messi and Murtaza meeting for the first time.

It is believed that negotiations are ongoing for one of the South American teams to play a friendly match against the Socceroos also.

A contest against either Brazil or Argentina will be perfect preparations for the Socceroos as they gear up for the 2017 Confederations Cup in Russia.

Lionel Messi set yet another record on Wednesday, as he became the first man to break the 300-goal mark in La Liga.

The Barcelona superstar reached his triple-century in the 25th minute of his side's 3-1 victory at Sporting Gijon, opening the scoring with a typically unerring left-footed finish from 20 yards.

For good measure, Messi notched his 301st league goal with another clinical strike 16 minutes later. He is now 50 clear of second-placed Telmo Zarra in La Liga's all-time leading scorers' list.