Lionel Messi chose the favorite goal of his career, from over 800 goals mostly scored with Barcelona, as part of the charity campaign “A Goal in Life” led by the Inter Miami CF Foundation.
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The campaign was done in partnership with the artist Refik Anadol, who will transform the millions of data points from Messi’s chosen goal into a work of art that will be auctioned by Christie’s.
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The work will be presented for the first time on June 11, while the public exhibition at Christie’s New York will open on July 15. From July 15 to 22, the international online auction period will take place, with a long line of interested parties looking to acquire the piece that is expected to break fundraising records.
Which goal did Messi choose?
Messi was left suspended in the air with the header that sealed the 2-0 victory in the 2009 Champions League final against Manchester United in Rome.
“I had many goals that are perhaps even more beautiful and of great value, due to their importance as well, but the header goal in the Champions League final against Manchester United has always been my favorite,” Messi said.
The flight, the landing, the celebration kissing the boot in his hand, that Messi goal meant the Champions League for a historic Barça, the one that won everything in Pep Guardiola’s first year as coach. It was one of the highlights of the Argentine’s career.
“I already knew how special Refik’s works are, we were able to meet in Miami and it’s going to be exciting to discover how he can transform a goal, a moment in sports, into a unique artistic piece like the ones he creates,” Messi stated.
Since the campaign was launched ten days ago, the video of the ad shared by the Inter Miami CF Foundation (IMCFF), narrated by actor Morgan Freeman, has surpassed 50 million views worldwide on Instagram alone, with an even broader global reach on other platforms.
What is the relationship between Messi and Refik Anadol?
UEFA has granted the rights to the images to the Inter Miami CF Foundation so that this unique piece can be created and shared with the world through the creation of Refik Anadol, the innovative and pioneering contemporary artist known for redefining the boundaries of data-based art.
In addition, Anadol had the opportunity to meet and interview Leo Messi, capturing every gesture, emotion, and word of the player in front of multiple cameras while reliving that unforgettable moment. “Leo Messi’s goal is more than a decisive moment in sports, it is a complex expression of human action, memory, and movement,” explained the artist.
“By integrating biosensing technologies and advanced AI systems, trained with data from that singular event, we are exploring a new frontier in the art with AI, one in which data becomes emotion, and memory takes shape,” adds Anadol.
The benefits of the auction will benefit multiple non-profit organizations, including the global alliance of the Inter Miami CF Foundation with UNICEF, which supports access to quality education programs in five countries in Latin America and the Caribbean.