Digital Artist Refik Anadol to Collaborate with Lionel Messi on New AI Artwork

Turkish artist Refik Anadol will collaborate with Lionel Messi to create a new AI-generated artwork based on the Argentine soccer player’s favorite goal. Messi will choose from his more than 800 career goals, which span his years with teams including FC Barcelona, Paris Saint-Germain FC, Inter Miami CF, and Argentina’s national team. Messi’s selected goal will be revealed on May 22nd via the Inter Miami CF Foundation’s social media channels. The artwork resulting from his collaboration with Anadol will be unveiled and put up for auction by Christie’s in New York on June 11th. Bidding for the work will close on July 25th. 

“Choosing just one goal out of them all is very difficult—each one is special in its own way, and some are really important or bring back incredible memories,” Messi said in a press statement. “But highlighting one as a favorite for the first time, to make this unique project possible, is worth it. There’s a strong purpose behind it, and I’m really happy to be part of it.”

Anadol, a new media artist based in Los Angeles, is well-known for his innovative use of digital technology in artwork. His so-called “data paintings” are mesmerizing moving image works created from large data sets converted into visual form by algorithms. One such work, Unsupervised – Machine Hallucinations (2022), was prominently displayed at the Museum of Modern Art in 2022. 

Anadol’s collaboration with Messi is part of the A Goal in Life initiative, led by the Inter Miami CF Foundation, with creative direction by Xavier Roca and artistic curation by Ximena Caminos. The artwork will consist of two components: an image of the goal as it happened, and Anadol’s AI-generated interpretation of the moment, created using millions of data points from the event. Messi and Anadol will co-sign the piece. Proceeds from the sale will benefit charitable initiatives, including a partnership between the Inter Miami CF Foundation and UNICEF that supports access to education in five countries across Latin America and the Caribbean. 

“It’s an extraordinary honor to join forces with Leo Messi—one of the greatest athletes of our time—on a project that supports nonprofit organizations, including UNICEF, and bridges the emotional legacy of sport with the future of art,” said Anadol. “At Refik Anadol Studio, we’ve always believed in the power of data to tell deeply human stories. Using AI to visualize the memory of Messi’s favorite goal is both a creative and ethical endeavor: to celebrate emotion, memory, and excellence.”