PHOTOS: Barcelona stars meet with disabled fans in Bangkok

Photos: UNICEF Thailand

On the first day of FC Barcelona’s trip to Thailand, internationally acclaimed players Lionel Messi and Jose Manuel Pinto spent the morning sharing football skills with children who have intellectual disabilities.

FC Barcelona and UNICEF have had a global partnership since 2006. Messi and Pinto spent  time  answering questions from the 20 children and young people and teaching them football skills. Some of the children and young people play on Thailand’s Special Olympics National Unified Football team, which has qualified for the 2014 Global Unified Cup in Brazil being organized by the Special Olympics and FIFA.

The Unified Team is made up of young people with and without intellectual disabilities who train, practice and play together on a regular basis, according to UNICEF Thailand.

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