Eight beIN SPORTS USA and Silk Media journalists and viewers indulge their LaLiga passion to the full thanks to the LaLiga Santander Experience

The enthralling 1-1 draw between Villarreal CF and FC Barcelona, in which Lionel Messi's sensational last-gasp equaliser cancelled out Nicola Sansone's opening goal, provided a fitting finale to an unforgettable weekend getaway for the eight participants in the second LaLiga Santander Experience instalment of the 2016/17 season. 

Thanks to this project, which seeks to bring the Spanish top flight closer to supporters all over the globe and expand the LaLiga brand worldwide, eight beIN SPORTS USA and Silk Media viewers and journalists got to savour the passion ignited by LaLiga Santander over the course of a fantastic three-day stay.

These two international broadcasters held contests to determine who would be treated to a once-in-a-lifetime experience courtesy of LaLiga. Eventually three journalists and five lucky winners from among the viewers who entered these competitions made the trip to Spain, where they had a ball throughout an action-packed weekend that was rounded off with a spectacle that they will never forget: the gripping showdown between Villarreal and Barcelona, in which several of the world's top players strutted their stuff. 

Not only did the visitors see the likes of Messi, Alexandre Pato, Luis Suarez, Bruno Soriano and Neymar at close quarters, but they also got to enjoy the build-up to the game with the local fans in Villarreal and feel part of the best league in the world.

What's more, other LaLiga followers from the United States and Georgia, where beIN SPORTS USA and Silk Media respectively air games from the Spanish top flight every matchday, also had the chance to follow the adventure, thanks to the content that the broadcasters served up in their programming and on social media.

On this note, besides making the eight participants' dreams come true, the broadcasters also fulfilled two further goals of the initiative by taking the competition closer to viewers and boosting LaLiga's profile in the States and Georgia.

The next stop on the LaLiga Santander Experience roadshow is Seville, where another group of LaLiga-loving TV subscribers and journalists will be lapping up all the pre-match, in-game and post-match excitement this weekend when Sevilla FC host Real Madrid at the Estadio Ramon Sanchez-Pizjuan.