Five-year-old Murtaza Ahmedi grabbed world headlines after being photographed in a shirt improvised from a plastic bag in the colours of the Argentine national team bearing Messi's name and number 10 playing number.
After pictures of Murtaza went viral on social media, his family feared that after becoming famous worldwide, he could be abducted by kidnappers for ransom.
His home is in the central region of Ghazni where security has been fragile and where kidnappings are common.
"There are such gangs that can kidnap him and then demand ransom. His father does not have so much money. That is why they have shifted from there (Afghanistan) to this place."
For the moment, Murtaza's dream of meeting his idol has not come true but his family said they continued to hope.
"We request the government here, the Afghan government, the United Nations, and any Football Associations to fulfill Murtaza's wish of meeting Messi," Ahmedi said.