‘Messi Experience’: immersive exhibition on Inter Miami star set to open doors

Tickets are now on sale for a new exhibition on eight-time Ballon d’Or winner Lionel Messi, which is due to open in Miami next month.

Created with the soccer star’s involvement, ‘The Messi Experience’ is being billed as a state-of-the-art display that will offer visitors an immersive look back over the 36-year-old’s life and career - from his beginnings in Rosario, to his glittering spell at Barcelona, to Argentina’s victory at the 2022 World Cup and his subsequent move to MLS franchise Inter Miami.

“Opportunity to relive most memorable moments” - Messi

Located at the Hangar at Regatta Harbour, an events venue in Miami’s Coconut Grove district, ‘The Messi Experience’ will feature nine interactive installations, spread across a space measuring 2,300 square metres. According to the exhibition’s organisers, Primo Entertainment and Moment Factory, these installations will include “digital and physical Games where you can learn the tricks and skills of soccer’s GOAT”.

“I am very happy to be part of this project that allows fans to get closer to my journey on and off the field,” Messi said. “Throughout my career, I have always strived to inspire and connect people through my passion for football. This experience will offer a unique opportunity to relive the most memorable moments and feel the emotions that have shaped my path.”

‘Messi Experience’ to tour cities worldwide

While ‘The Messi Experience’ is initially being held in Miami, the $50m exhibition is set to Travel around the planet, with some 150 cities expected to host the display. “This isn’t just an event, it’s a world tour that will allow fans of Messi from around the globe to immerse themselves in the extraordinary life and career of this soccer icon,” Primo Entertainment’s Andrés Naftali and David Rosenfeld said in a press release on Thursday.

When does ‘The Messi Experience’ open and how much are tickets?

‘The Messi Experience’ is scheduled to open its doors in Miami on Thursday 25 April 2024. Tickets, which start at $29.90, can be booked at themessiexperience.com. “Demand for tickets has been growing and growing in recent weeks,” organisers say.

Messi proving a Miami marvel

Messi, who joined Inter Miami in July 2023, has enjoyed a hugely successful beginning to his career in MLS. The scorer of 16 goals in 19 Miami appearances so far, the veteran has sparked a turnaround in the Herons’ on-field fortunes. Most notably, he inspired Miami to victory at last summer’s Leagues Cup - the Floridians’ first ever piece of silverware.

Miami lead the MLS’s Eastern Conference after four games of the 2024 season - with Messi scoring three times in three appearances - and on Wednesday, he was on target as Gerardo Martino’s side eliminated Nashville SC in the last 16 of the 2024 CONCACAF Champions Cup.