I'm sure we all remember when our siblings were cute, babbling blobs of spit and baby laughs. Even if we don't, there are usually Polaroids buried in boxes and albums that are pulled out every so often in order to bring us back to those days. A range of toothy-to-toothless grins and matching ensembles jump out of those photos and ignite our memories and remind us, "Man, I really do love that kid."

Here's a picture of my sister disguised as a Pokemon. (Freaking adorable, am I right?)

The super cute younger sibling who's been on my mind lately (and in the news and discussed on talk shows) is Martaza Ahmadi. Martaza is a 5-year-old boy from Afghanistan. Martaza is from a family without disposable income. Martaza is from a village far from the city. Martaza is a soccer fan.

Specifically, Martaza is a Lionel Messi fan. Martaza begged his father for a Messi jersey and his father, being practical and honest with his son, said no. His brother, contrarily, said yes in the most loving and creative way possible. Older brother, 15-year-old Hamayon Ahmadi, made Martaza a jersey. He made a soccer jersey out of a plastic bag.

Who wouldn't want to make that kid a jersey? He's baby-disguised-as-a-Pokemon adorable. Cutie to the max. I would make him a jersey out of toilet paper and some paper clips if it made him smile.

Not only did Hamayon make the jersey for his kid brother, he also took pictures and posted them online.

The pictures went viral.

Thanks to an older brother's dedication and love, Martaza not only got a pretty nifty makeshift jersey, he got the real deal. Yes, the little boy received a signed soccer jersey and ball from Lionel Messi himself. Shout out to Leo for keeping the dream alive for 5-year-olds everywhere.

Someone else who deserves a shout out is Hamayon. If not for him, his brother's dream never would have been actualized. "The little boy from Afghanistan with the Messi jersey" wouldn't even be a news story. Hamayon is the real hero, but what did he get out of this? Virtually every website, article, blog and newscast about this story has focused on the younger sibling. One source even stated Hamayon only helped his younger brother make the jersey. Everyone is focused on the little one, and the fact that he's a huge Messi fan and the fact that he's from a village and the fact that he wants his family to refer to him exclusively as "Messi" from now on. That's cute and all, but that's not what's giving hope to underprivileged children around the world. Hamayon is the originator of hope.

Not only does Hamayon care about the happiness of his brother, but he's conscious of every other child in the world. According to abc new's website, when discussing how he and his brother use soccer as a distraction from the violence in his community, Hamayan also added, "A peaceful life should be our right," and that he hopes his brother's story can help spread the message of peace. (Notice, still, how it is referred to as "his brother's story.")

After all the bitterness and anger I felt on behalf of Hamayon for not receiving rightful credit, I reflected on all the times I've helped my siblings with the tasks of changing diapers, tying shoes, figuring out math problems and shopping for clothes and applying for colleges. I think of everything they've accomplished, and I remember my love for them. I remember those silly Polaroids, and I remember my love.

I feel it is necessary to acknowledge all the older siblings out there and the "perks" associated with their positions. You may be the makers behind the jerseys and the tutors behind the A's and the jokers behind the smiles and while you may not always receive credit, your efforts are true and honest and not without meaning. You are helping change the world, one babbling blob of spit at a time.