Lionel Messi pays Moroccan boy's medical fees

Barcelona forward Lionel Messi has offered to foot the bill so that a 12-year-old boy can receive six years of treatment to help him overcome a growth hormone deficiency.

Moroccan Waleed Kashash had his dreams of becoming a professional footballer dashed by the diagnosis of the same condition that 5'5" Messi suffered with as a youngster.

A woman called Soad al-Affani notified the Argentine star of the situation and he responded by proposing to cover the costs of £167 every 15 days until Kashash's 18th birthday.

GHD is a rare condition that affects approximately one in 3,800 child births. In adulthood, symptoms are felt in roughly one in 100,000.