One-of-a-kind digital artwork created by Refik Anadol in collaboration with Lionel Messi bringing together two icons from the worlds of sport and contemporary art. For the first time, Messi selected the most meaningful goal of his 20-year career — his 2009 Champions League Final header — which Refik Anadol Studio transformed into an immersive, AI Driven experience blending art, memory, data and emotion.

Living Memory: Messi – A Goal in life  pushes the boundaries of what art can be – not just a representation of the past, but an emotional, multi-sensory transmission of it. The work was presented in a dedicated Christie’s sale in 2025, with a corresponding free immersive exhibition at Christie’s New York in Rockefeller Center. Proceeds from the sale will benefit multiple nonprofits, including Inter Miami CF Foundation’s global partnership with UNICEF, which supports access to quality education programs in five countries across Latin America and the Caribbean.

At the heart of the work is what Refik Anadol calls the “architecture of action.” Using an open-source motion-tracking framework, he mapped seventeen points of Messi’s body to reconstruct his physical form and kinetic expression.

This was layered with biometric voice data, breathing rhythms, heartbeat patterns, and emotional nuances derived from interviews – culminating in a powerful soundscape shaped by Messi’s physical and emotional state in that exact moment, setting the emotional tempo of the piece.

The result is a dynamic, eight-minute “memory temple,” as Anadol describes it – rendered in 16K resolution and presented as a fully immersive experience. Viewers are invited to surrender to the work, forging a visceral connection with Messi and revisiting their own memory of the goal.

“It’s an honor to join forces with the Inter Miami Foundation for a good cause – I feel privileged to be able to do so,” said Leo Messi. “This project means a lot to me, not only because it recalls a special moment in my career, but also because, thanks to such a unique artist like Refik, it can help improve the lives of others who truly need it.

—  Leo Messi

“For me, this work is about transforming the data from Messi’s favorite goal into living memory – something that we have never done before,” said Anadol. “We’ve taken millions of data points – visuals, sounds, physiological signals – from one of football’s most iconic moments and turned them into a pioneering art experience. This isn’t about nostalgia. It’s about reliving the depth of that split second: what Messi felt, what the crowd felt, and what it meant to the world. This AI Data Sculpture work redefines how we experience memory through art.”

—  Refik Anadol