If you’ve recently driven on the Glendale Freeway, your eye might have been caught by a big purple box with an attractive athletic face. Residing right next to the LA River, inside this box is where you experience one of the greatest athletes in the world: Lionel Messi.
When I first saw the Messi Experience, I didn’t have any clue what to expect. What exactly would I be experiencing?
“Maybe Messi will be there to say hi,” I thought.
Unlikely. To be honest, I’ve never been much of a soccer player. But it was my long-time friend Pax’s birthday, and it was his dream to go to the Messi Experience. I’d been training my skills for a few weeks to make sure I wouldn't embarrass myself if I ended up meeting Lionel.
When we arrived, we saw an empty parking lot with a $20 parking sign, but no one was parked. We entered the building, and it seemed like we had the place to ourselves.
The first room was the POV of Messi’s big win. We were transported to Argentina to experience the live reaction of these soccer fans.
Afterwards, we visited the room where it all began. This humble abode was where our legend and king was brought up. The room had videos playing and awards on the wall, encapsulating Messi’s childhood.
A weird part of this experience was the chat with Messi. Around the building were golden stickers called Ballon d’Or’s, which are trophies given out to soccer players, shaped like a golden soccer ball. Messi has won eight of these in his humble career. When we scanned the QR code on these stickers, we got the chance to ask Messi a question (though you only get to choose 1 out of 3). There were also trivia questions that you can earn “Messi Points” with, but I sadly never figured out how to spend them.
The climax of the event were the mini-games. There were three games: Tiki-taka, Quiz ball, and Accuracy. Tiki-taka is a game you play with friends, where you pass the ball over imaginary obstacles and compete for points. Quizball is where you’re asked trivia questions about Messi’s life, and you have to kick the ball into the right answer. Then, Accuracy is a game where you have a screen that has targets pop up. The targets disappear and reappear in different places, so it’s a game of speed as well. These games were fun. This was when my training really helped because I was able to showcase my skills on the pitch.
I would say this experience was very worth it. Only $25 for a ticket and it was an educational and athletic experience. Even though it has left Los Angeles, the Messi Experience was full of surprises and fun.
As I was walking out the building, I stopped. I felt a presence behind me. So, I decided to check it out.
I see a 5 foot 7 attractive Argentinian man leaning against the wall. He has a toothpick in his mouth and a smirk on his face.
He walks over to a soccer ball on the floor and does some tricks.
“I’m glad you liked my show,” he says.
Beat.
“Same time tomorrow?”
Man I really enjoyed this article, but I think Charles-Henry could've done a better job with it.
you ate this up