It’s a meeting that’s been nearly a year in the making.

Murtaza Ahmadi became famous in January when a photo captured the Afghani boy who had made a Lionel Messi jersey out of a plastic bag. He eventually got a real Messi jersey, though his father revealed that the family was forced out of its home because of “constant telephone threats.”

But Ahmadi hadn’t met the real Messi … until now:

The pair met in Dohar, Qatar. Messi’s Barcelona squad is in the country to play in a friendly and the BBC reports the six-year-old will walk out with Messi before the contest against Al Ahli.