Does 'Messi Plastic Bags' in Iraq?

BAGHDAD - This heart warming image has captivated thousands online and sparked an international hunt for the child in the photo. But the Twitter user who seems to have directed the search towards Dohuk in Iraq has admitted to BBC trending that he made that bit up.

It's easy to see why the photo captured people's attention. Seemingly unable to afford a replica shirt of football superstar Lionel Messi - in the blue and white stripes of Argentina's national team - the boy is wearing a plastic carrier bag in similar colours. The star's name and number are scrawled in pen on the back of the makeshift shirt.

"Too cute! Hope they find him," read one typical tweet.

"Little boy in war-torn Iraq wears a Lionel Messi football shirt made from a plastic bag," read another.

Many of those who have shared the photo on social media have also repeated rumours that the boy is thought to be from the Dohuk in the Kurdish region of Iraq. Reports that Messi himself is trying to contact the boy to give him a proper shirt are also rife online. The hunt is on, but as yet 'Messi's biggest fan' has yet to be located.

In the hope of shedding light on the mystery, Trending contacted people on the ground in Dohuk who say that while the landscape could indeed be from a rural area nearby, it was impossible to be certain.

So where did the rumours of the Kurdish connection originate from?

Most of the speculation about the boy's whereabouts seem to trace back to a Twitter user @illMindOfRobin. He posted the picture on 13 January, two full days before it was picked up widely elsewhere. "Messi in Kurdistan" and "Messi in Duhok, Iraq" he wrote when posting the photo.