Baghdad Messi
Original title: Baghdad Messi
German title: Baghdad Messi
Ten-year-old Hamoudi is seriously injured in a shooting incident in the streets of Baghdad. He loses a leg and thereby his greatest hobby: playing football. And that’s not all: his father Kadhim works as a translator for the Americans in the troubled city. His dangerous assignments make not only him, but also the whole family the target of a nighttime attack. They therefore have to leave their hometown and stay with relatives in the country. There, Hamoudi is no longer the football talent jokingly referred to as “Baghdad Messi”. He has to fight for recognition among the local children led by his cousin Yakoub. While his father has given up his job and now has to earn money for the overdue rent, Hamoudi experiences increasing marginalisation and tries to prove himself in risky ways. A small ray of hope: there is a shared passion for football, a TV set prone to failure, and the meeting of two football icons, Messi and Ronaldo.