Lawrence Masira, a 12-year-old Kenyan herdsboy, has been unveiled as the Visa Players Escort Ambassador for the forthcoming Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) tournament scheduled for 21 June to 19 July 2019 in Egypt.
https://twitter.com/VisaKenya/status/1133283629864558592
“I’m so happy to be going for the 2019 Africa Cup of Nation, it’s a dream come true for me. I love playing football and to have a chance to be in Egypt is just an amazing experience. I will be happy to see our Harambee Stars play against Egypt because I like watching Mohamed Salah. My other favourite player is Ozil of Arsenal,” said Lawrence.
Met #LawrenceMasira twice when he received #Arsenal merchandise..Today he headlines the @VisaKenya Player Escort Programme campaign and he is going to #Egypt for #AFCON2019 #VisaUnstoppableStories pic.twitter.com/ijaNjZG2WC
— Bernard Ndong (@BernardNdong) May 28, 2019
Masira shot into global limelight in March 2019 after a photo of him sporting a self-made Arsenal jersey with the inscription “Ozil 10” went viral online.
Sports journalist, Eric Njiru, took the photo of the 9-year-old wearing the infamous shirt as he herded cattle in the capital, Nairobi.
The tweet went viral catching the attention of Ozil who responded and sent two official Arsenal shirts with “Ozil 10” on the back and football boots for Lawrence and his young brother.
The picture of a Kenyan boy with a self made shirt on Twitter touched me so much. 🇰🇪❤ And look at Lawrence now – it's so heartwarming to see him and his brothers happy🙏🏼😘 #SocialMediaPower 💪🏼 #HappyToAssist #Nairobi #M1Ö pic.twitter.com/nQWgc0cABt
— Mesut Özil (@M10) March 11, 2019
https://twitter.com/Erik_Njiru/status/1105089512282181632