Messi says sacrifice took him to the top

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Lionel Messi on Tuesday attributed his stunning achievements to hard work and sacrifice as his Barcelona side prepare for the first game of their Asian tour in Thailand.

The Spanish champions have returned to Asia three years after their last tour of the continent -- home to a huge fan base and prime marketing territory.

After facing Thailand's national side on Wednesday, Barca travel to Kuala Lumpur to play a Malaysia XI on August 10 before returning to Europe.

Quizzed on the secret of his success at a UNICEF event in Bangkok, the Argentine four-time World Player of the Year said dedication was the only route to the top.

"You have to fight to reach your dream. You have to sacrifice and work hard for it," he said.

"Training is very important. Now we have no competition we are training a lot. When the season starts we have to play matches so we will train only one or two hours a day."

The diminutive 26-year-old has enjoyed a remarkable career in a Barca team widely considered one of the finest sides of all time.

Speaking at the event with the club's partner charity UNICEF, Messi advised members of Thailand's Special Olympics "unified" football team -- players with and without intellectual disabilities -- to lap up the experience when they travel to Brazil next year for the Global Unified Cup.

"The most important thing is to enjoy the experience," said Messi, who will be hoping to fire Argentina to glory at the 2014 World Cup, also next year in Brazil.

"The chance to travel to a new place, meet new people... whether you win or lose is not the important part."

Barca should not sacrifice style, says Messi

Argentine star and world player of the year Lionel Messi on Wednesday urged Barcelona not to change their style despite their chastening Champions League semi-final loss to Bayern Munich.

Bayern hammered seven goals past the Catalan club for no reply but Messi insists that loss is no reason to change the club's attacking philosophy.

"It gets ever more difficult and you cannot win everything every year," Messi told Mexican broadcaster Azteca.

"We have been playing the same way for a long time and all the coaches' years, all the teams are looking at you and studying how we are not winning, at least in Europe", observed Messi.

"But we cannot go crazy over what happened this year. We cannot change Barcelona's style, which is what has always characterised this team. You have to keep calm and look to the year ahead," said Messi, whose side have after all wrested the Spanish league title back from Real Madrid.

Messi said the forced absences of coach Tito Vilanova, who replaced the hugely successful 'Pep' Guardiola but had to have several bouts of cancer treatment in the United States, had made a difference.

"When he was away we noticed the difference. It was not that the people around him were not up to scratch just that the image of the head coach was missing .. obviously things weren't the same."

Yet with the Spanish league crown back at the Nou Camp, Messi concluded: "A season is very long and to be able to end it celebrating is wonderful."