Lionel Messi set for a highly unusual accolade

Messi has received a number of incredible accolades throughout his stellar career, but this is a strange one.

The Messi Experience Park is set to open in Nanjing, China and consist of 22-acre theme park entirely dedicated to the Barcelona superstar.

The project, lead by Mediapro Exhibitions in association with LMM (Leo Messi Management) and bankrolled by Phoenix U-Art, was planned as a museum, but now promises to be a far more interesting experience.

Head of Mediapro Exhibitions, David Xirau has recently explained the move and given a rundown of what to expect from the theme park.

“It will be a tribute to football, not a space for self promotion,” Xirau said.

“In China, football is growing at an exponential rate, encouraged by the authorities. Nanjing is a football capital here. It is a China-scale project, very big. It is around 80,000 square metres, most of which will be inside for weather reasons.

“It will be connected with Shanghai and we expect 4-5 million visitors a year, the vast majority of which will be Chinese tourists. It is expected to be working in 2020. The project will cost €170m as well as urban investments.”

Would you go to the The Messi Experience Park? Let us know what you think in the comments below.