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Lionel Messi has targeted success at next year's Copa America, saying it has been too long since Argentina won an international trophy. Argentina's last success in the Copa America was back in 1993, when Gabriel Batistuta scored twice in a 2-1 final win over Mexico. Their wait for success at the World Cup goes back even further, to 1986, when Diego Maradona inspired the country's last tournament victory. This means that while Messi won the 2008 Olympics and 2005 Under-20 World Cup with his country, he has yet to win a senior international trophy. The latest disappointment came last summer when the 27-year-old captained the Albiceleste to the final of the World Cup, but lost 1-0 in extra time as Germany were crowned champions. Speaking after scoring twice during a late cameo in Tuesday's 7-0 friendly win in Hong Kong, the Barcelona star told reporters that he wanted that poor run to end next summer in Chile. "We have to fight to win all tournaments," Messi said. "Unfortunately, it is a long time since Argentina managed to win something. We came close at the World Cup, but that is already behind us. We have not won the Copa America for a long time, and the objective is to win it." Tuesday's stroll in Hong Kong followed a disappointing 2-0 loss to Brazil in Beijing, but Messi said results were not so important at the moment as the team focused on learning how new coach Gerardo "Tata" Martino wanted the side to play. "We are obliged to play well and win every game," he said. "In these friendlies the results are not as important as quickly picking up what Tata wants. Above and beyond the result or the opponent, we must keep looking for what works best." Messi would not be drawn on whether he preferred the methods of his former Barca coach Martino to those of previous boss Alejandro Sabella. "Like all coaches, [Martino] has his ideas," he said. "It is different from Alejandro in some aspects, in other things similar, but that is normal. Everyone had their idea, one is not better than another, just different. We are adapting now to what Tata wants." Meanwhile, the Hong Kong Football Association (HKFA) has lamented the turnout at the 40,000-seater national stadium which left them facing a hefty bill. Only 20,230 supporters turned up to watch the World Cup runners-up in action, a game that marked the centenary of the HKFA and one that was expected to sell out. The South China Morning Post reported that the HKFA needed to sell all 40,000 tickets to break even after the fixture cost 3.87 million dollars to stage -- but chairman Brian Leung Hung-tak and president Timothy Fok Hun-tsing are now expected to pay for 80 percent of the losses on the match, with board members Ken Ng Kin and Pui Kwan-kay funding the rest of the outlay. "It is a shame. The second-best team in the world is here and we have a half-empty stadium," HKFA member Mark Sutcliffe told the paper after the match. "We will have a debrief with the agent and with all of our team. We will try to find out the reasons." While ticket prices have been criticised, the nation's political situation is believed to be the reason for the poor attendance, with thousands of pro-democracy protesters still patrolling the streets of the Chinese-controlled city, demanding that Beijing introduce universal suffrage at its 2017 elections. The political mood was captured during the match as boos drowned out the Chinese national anthem while yellow umbrellas, a symbol of the Occupy Central movement, were waved in the stands. However, that did not stop one fan from enjoying the presence of four-time Ballon d'Or winner Messi who ran onto the pitch during the game and saw his shirt signed by the Albiceleste captain. Asked about the unusual incident, Messi again diplomatically said he was just happy with the positive reception he had received from the local supporters. "I always say I am very grateful," he said. "Because wherever I go, the reception from the people is spectacular." Ghanaian-born forward Christian Kwesi Annan was the fortunate player to collect Messi's shirt after the game and he told the South China Morning Post that he would treasure the prized possession. "I am saving it for life. I'm not going to trade it for anything. I'm going to frame it, put it on the wall and then treasure it," he said.
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