Global football star Lionel Messi has scored over 800 goals in his career. These weren’t just match-winners — many of them became defining moments in football history. From Argentina to FC Barcelona, Paris Saint-Germain to Inter Miami CF, his goals are etched into the memories of millions around the world.
Now, Christie’s and Inter Miami CF have announced a rare collaboration between Messi and pioneering media artist Refik Anadol. For years, fans have debated which of Messi’s goals was the greatest. This time, Messi made the choice himself — selecting his header against Manchester United in the 2009 UEFA Champions League Final as the most meaningful of his 20-year career. That moment is now the subject of a data-driven artwork by Anadol that blends technology, emotion, and sport in a completely new form.
“A header from Messi is a collector’s item,” and with Anadol’s transformation, that moment is now something you can actually own. Anadol, based in Los Angeles, created A Goal in Life — an immersive installation he describes as a “memory temple.” Viewers step into a circular space surrounded by 16K-resolution screens, where the goal is reimagined not just visually, but emotionally. The aim isn’t nostalgia. Anadol wants the audience to feel what Messi felt in that exact second: the tension, the release, the weight of the moment.
To build this, Anadol processed millions of data points, creating an eight-minute “AI data sculpture.” He tracked 17 points on Messi’s body during the goal, layered in biometric data from Messi’s interviews — his voice, breathing, heartbeat — and fused it all into a constantly shifting visual experience. From calm interview footage to sweeping match angles to abstract waves of color, the piece moves between memory and imagination.
The work will be on public display, free of charge, at Christie’s Rockefeller Center in New York from July 12 to 22. The digital artwork will also be auctioned online between July 8 and 22. Proceeds will go to nonprofit education programs across five countries in Latin America and the Caribbean, supported by Inter Miami CF Foundation.
