Outbreak nurse's wish for son to receive Messi jersey comes true

A 8-year-old boy from Changsha, Central China's Hunan province, received a Messi jersey on Monday, the fulfilment of a wish made by his mother, a nurse taking care of novel coronavirus patents in Wuhan, Central China's Hubei province, Xiangya Hospital said on Monday on its official Weibo account.

The boy Lu Shu's mother, Wu Yu, is a nurse from Xiangya Hospital in Central China's Hunan province. Since Feb 7, Wu has been working in Union Hospital affiliated to Tongji Medical College, which is treating critically ill patients from Wuhan. 

She made a special wish on Women's Day -- she hoped Argentina's superstar soccer player Lionel Messi would send her son a jersey. The boy has enjoyed playing soccer since he was young and is a big fan of Messi's.

"I believe a jersey from Messi would definitely encourage my boy to become a member of the national youth training team," she said while making the wish.

That day, the China office of the Argentine Football Association responded to the woman's wish on its official Weibo account, saying they will send the boy a No 10 Messi jersey.

The boy received the jersey on Monday at his home in Changsha, alongwith a scarf, book, key chain, mascot doll with the emblem of the Argentine national team and a handwritten letter from the office, according to Xiangya Hospital. 

The boy had a video call with his mother, who is still in Wuhan, saying he hopes she will come back safely soon. The mother was happy and said she appreciated that the office made her wish come true, according to the hospital.

Xinhua contributed to this story.