Syrian refugee's dream comes true with Messi meeting

Nujeen Mustafa, 18, who suffers from cerebral palsy and is confined to a wheelchair, fled her hometown of Aleppo two years ago with her sister Nasrin.

Nujeen Mustafa, the 18-year-old Kurdish woman and fan of Barcelona FC finally gets to achieve her dream of meeting Lionel Messi.

Nujeen Mustafa, the 18-year-old Kurdish woman and fan of Barcelona FC finally gets to achieve her dream of meeting Lionel Messi. Source: FC Barcelona

The two girls made a 5,600km journey to Cologne where they were sheltered as refugees. After discovering that Nujeen was a fan of Barcelona FC - and had never attended a game -  the club surprised her by arranging a visit to Spain and watch them play Celta Vigo.

Prior to her departure from Cologne, Mustafa’s grandmother wished her a safe journey. Mustafa told her not to worry because she is "an expert on long walks."

Mustafa, who has cerebral palsy, has used a wheelchair since she was a child and for her trek from Syria to Europe that included crossing seas on a raft.

"What is the Barcelona bus doing here? Oh, my god!" exclaimed Mustafa as the bus pulled up to her house. 

"Am I sitting in Messi's place?" she asked aboard the bus.

FC Barcelona documented Mustafa’s 18-hour ride to Camp Nou, the club’s stadium.


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By Saleem Al-Fahad
Source: Reuters, SBS

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