Barcelona legend and Inter Miami forward Lionel Messi has named the header he scored against Manchester United in the 2009 Champions League final as his favourite goal ever.
He recently said that he picked the goal as his favourite because it was a special moment for him.
The Argentina captain and 8-time Ballon d’Or winner selected his favourite strike as part of a “A Goal in Life” charity campaign, collaborating with artist Refik Anadol to create a work of art. The piece will then be co-signed by Lionel and the artist to be auctioned off at Christie’s, with all funds raised going to charitable initiatives.
According to him, even if he scored more beautiful and important goals than that header vs MUFC, it remains it favourite goal yet because of what the moment meant to him.
Messi said that he came in contact with Refik’s work in Miami and he loved it instantly, so he is surely looking forward to seeing how the brand will transform his special header moment into a unique piece of art that will stand the test of time.
“I had many goals that are perhaps even more beautiful and of enormous value, also because of their importance, but the header in the Champions League final against Manchester United was always my favorite.
I already knew how special Refik’s works are. We were able to meet in Miami, and it will be exciting to discover how he can transform a goal, a moment in sports, into a unique piece of art like the ones he creates,” he said.
Refix shared that the charity project proves his commitment to making the most of AI tools to transform football memories into memorable arts, with all proceeds going to support educational equity and opportunities for children and communities in need.
“Leo Messi’s goal is more than a defining moment in sport. It is a complex expression of human action, memory, and movement. By integrating biosensing technologies and advanced AI systems, trained with data from that singular event, we are exploring a new frontier in AI art, one where data becomes emotion, and memory becomes form.
This project reflects our broader commitment to making the most advanced tools of artificial intelligence accessible and transforming art into direct impact, with all proceeds going to support educational equity and opportunities for children and communities in need,” he added.
