Leo Messi x Refik Anadol: A Goal in Life
Presented at Christie's Rockefeller Center, July 2025
For this landmark collaboration, generative artist Refik Anadol and Lionel Messi transformed one of the most iconic moments in modern football into a philanthropic art initiative supporting UNICEF's education programs across Latin America and the Caribbean.
The project centered on Living Memory: Messi – A Goal in Life, an immersive artwork that reimagined Messi's celebrated 2009 UEFA Champions League Final goal through AI-generated visualizations informed by match footage, biometric data, and movement tracking. The installation translated memory, motion, and emotion into a new form of digital storytelling, offering audiences a deeply personal interpretation of a defining moment in sporting history.
Caroline Maxwell led creative development, strategic storytelling, and media production for the project, helping shape the public narrative surrounding the collaboration and its philanthropic impact.
Unveiled at Christie's New York and auctioned online in July 2025, the work raised $1.87 million in support of UNICEF and educational initiatives across Latin America and the Caribbean. The project marked the first time Messi selected a single goal to commemorate from more than 800 scored throughout his career.
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