Lionel Messi

The Barcelona forward said he would not play for Argentina again after the team lost to Chile in the final of the Copa America in the United States.

However, in a statement on Friday, Messi explained that he wanted to continue representing his country as he preferred "to help from within".

"I consider there to be a lot of problems in Argentine football and it's not my intention to create another one," the 29-year-old said.

A photo of a boy wearing a home-made Argentina football shirt, complete with Messi's name across its back, has been shared widely on social media, in an effort to track him down and possibly provide him with a real one.

The photo first appeared on the Twitter account of Turkish sports website Fanatik last week, where it was claimed the boy was from Iraq.