'For Posterity': Lionel Messi To Pick Favourite Goal To Be Transformed Into Work Of Art For Charity
Messi will unveil his favourite goal on May 22 and a depiction of the strike will be transformed into a work of art by Refik Anadol with the help of AI.
Argentine football icon Lionel Messi is set to pick the favourite goal of his career spanning over two decades. It will certainly be a difficult task for Messi, who has scored over 800 goals for his clubs and country since making his professional debut for Barcelona in 2004. The eight-time Ballon d'Or winner, who led Argentina to World Cup glory in 2022, will unveil his favourite goal on May 22.
A depiction of the strike will be transformed into a work of art by Refik Anadol with the help of artificial intelligence (AI). When done, the piece will be auctioned off for charity. The artwork featuring an autograph by Messi will go under the hammer at the New York auction house Christie's on June 11.
For the first time ever, Leo Messi will unveil his favourite goal from his career…The goal will be transformed into a unique piece of artwork by renowned artist Refik Anadol, as part of a landmark charity campaign 🎨💖 pic.twitter.com/iLR9OyNHv3
— Sky Sports Football (@SkyFootball) May 14, 2025
Messi leads the charity campaign that brings together the worlds of football and art. The initiative has also been supported by Inter Miami CF Foundation. The funds raised through the auction will be used to improve education in some Latin American and Caribbean countries.
'Choosing just one goal from all of them is very difficult; each one is special, and some are very important or bring back incredible memories. But picking one as my favourite for the first time to make this unique project possible is worth it. There's a powerful purpose behind it, and I'm thrilled to be part of it," Messi said.
Refik Anadol, known for his pioneering 'data paintings," creates captivating visual art using large-scale datasets. His practice blends art and technology to turn complex information into immersive digital experiences.
In this case, Anadol will not only focus on the particular goal but will also evaluate match statistics, the distance Messi covered, and emotional responses from fans. He will craft a dynamic and abstract visual piece by interpreting all those information.
First Published:
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Hindu
37 minutes ago
- The Hindu
FIFA World Cup 2026: Azteca Stadium in Mexico to feature hybrid field, modern amenities
A hybrid field, updated locker rooms, elevators and hospitality zones are among the new features of Azteca Stadium for the 2026 World Cup. Ollamani, the sports entertainment company that owns the stadium, also confirmed Wednesday (June 11, 2025) that Azteca will reopen March 26, which will be 75 days before the start of the World Cup as Mexico City Mayor Clara Brugada announced recently. 'The centerpiece of the stadium's renovation is the people who visit it. Our main objective is to substantially improve their experience in every way,' stadium director Felix Aguirre said in a statement. The iconic venue closed last May for renovations ahead of next year's 48-team competition hosted by Mexico, the United States and Canada. The 83,000-seat Azteca, which recently was renamed, will host five games including the tournament opener. It also hosted the first matches in the 1970 and 1986 World Cups. Ollamani, which is affiliated with Grupo Televisa, Mexico's largest television network, also said the stadium will have bigger capacity, but did not specify how many extra seats it will have. It will be the second time that Azteca has a hybrid pitch — one was installed in 2018 but returned to natural grass a year later. The poor field conditions in November 2018 forced a last-minute change of venue for an NFL game between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Los Angeles Rams. 'The pitch, being subjected to intensive use, will have a new ventilation and suction system, thereby achieving better recovery, stability and resistance,' Ollamani said in a statement. The new locker rooms will be located at the center of the stadium under the luxury boxes and with a tunnel leading to the pitch. Before, they were located in the north and south part of it. 'The project includes new facilities in the competition areas, improving the experience of the player, fans and media in line with the most modern stadiums in the world," the company said. The plan includes installing large LED screens inside and outside the stadium. Before the renovations, the stadium had just two big screens that were installed in 2015. Ollamani did not provided specific details about elevators or escalators. In the past, the only way to move between the lower and upper sections was using an old ramp. The hospitality zones were also a necessity. The old stadium had a small concession area outside the venue, but inside there were no food courts and the fans were forced to buy from the vendors roaming the seating area. Among other renovations, the stadium owner also announced a new press box area, improved restrooms, a 200-unit CCTV surveillance system and a new sound system. Originally, a major renovation was planned including a shopping center and hotel, but residents of Santa Úrsula, a popular neighborhood located south of the capital, opposed them. Ollamani said that the facade and the roof will be renovated 'to improve the stadium appearance without losing its essence.' Earlier in the year, images were released of work done on the pitch and the lower seats. The luxury boxes apparently haven't been touched because some owners refuse to release them to FIFA. The box owners recently filed a complaint with Mexico's consumer protection agency seeking clarity over use of the seating for the 2026 World Cup.
Time of India
an hour ago
- Time of India
FIFA Club World Cup 2025: Five stars missing from the expanded edition
Barcelona's Lamine Yamal (L) and Al Nassr's Cristiano Ronaldo (R) will be missing from the FIFA Club World Cup. (AP/Getty Images) FIFA's inaugural expanded Club World Cup in the United States has one billion dollars of prize money on the line but will be missing some of the game's star names. AFP Sport highlights five players who will not be lighting up stadiums across the United States once it gets underway this weekend: Mohamed Salah (Liverpool) File photo of Liverpool's Mohamed Salah. (Getty Images) Liverpool finished as English champions, but like Spain's Barcelona and Italy's Napoli, will not be at the Club World Cup, because of the convoluted qualification process. That means Egyptian winger Salah, who broke the Premier League record for goal involvements, with 29 strikes and 18 assists, misses out. After a tiring season in which he faded in the latter months Salah might not be too upset about having a summer off. The winger posted a photo of himself sunbathing by the beach on Instagram. However it will be a shame that African football icon Salah, captain Virgil van Dijk and others miss out on the chance of a potential rematch against their Champions League conquerors Paris Saint-Germain. Liverpool transfer target Florian Wirtz will also be absent, as his side Bayer Leverkusen did not qualify. Lamine Yamal (Barcelona) Barcelona's Lamine Yamal thrilled Europe in the recent season. (Getty Images) No player in world football this season has offered more excitement than Barcelona's 17-year-old star Lamine Yamal. The Spain winger has been in sensational form for his club this season and is one of the candidates to win the Ballon d'Or. Yamal's thrilling dribbling and penchant for the spectacular make him one of the biggest draws in world football at the moment. He is often compared to former Barcelona great Lionel Messi, but because of the Spanish champions' absence, may have missed out on his only chance to face the Argentina star, who will be there with Inter Miami. Barcelona's Raphinha, midfield maestro Pedri and veteran striker Robert Lewandowski are others who will be missed. Messi will also not go up against his long-time rival Ronaldo in the US. The Portuguese striker, 40, was reported to be looking for a way to play in the tournament. FIFA president Gianni Infantino had suggested Ronaldo might move from Saudi Arabian side Al Nassr to a team who had reached the event, saying that "discussions" were being held over it. Five-time Ballon d'Or winner Ronaldo, who won the Nations League with Portugal last weekend , indicated after the game however he was set to stay at Al Nassr. "Some teams reached out to me," the former Manchester United and Real Madrid star revealed last Saturday on the eve of the Nations League final. "Some made sense and others did not, but you can't try and do everything. You can't catch every ball." Bukayo Saka (Arsenal) Bukayo Saka of Arsenal in action during the Premier League. (Getty Images) Champions League semi-finalists Arsenal are another team to miss out and after finishing the season trophyless, the Club World Cup would have been a chance to win some silverware. England international Saka's only club trophy, excluding the FA Community Shield, was an FA Cup win with Arsenal in 2020. Mikel Arteta's side showed this season they have improved to the point where they are in contention for major honours, including knocking out Real Madrid in the Champions League, but came up just short. For a player of his quality, who has spent six seasons playing regularly at the top level, Saka could do with expanding his medal collection. Arsenal will be disappointed to miss out on the prize money too, as they try to overhaul Liverpool and Manchester City, who have dominated the English game in recent seasons. Neymar (Santos) File photo of Neymar in a Santos kit. (AP) Brazilian icon Neymar struggled with injury at Al-Hilal in Saudi Arabia and returned to Santos in January 2025, hoping to get fit and firing ahead of next summer's World Cup. The 33-year-old forward, despite fading with age, is still one of the biggest names in the game and his absence is also a blow in a commercial sense. "Neymar, what can I say about him? He's an outstanding player, who, for me, in my football cycle, is in the top three, with Cristiano and Messi," said Brazil midfielder Casemiro. With organisers struggling to sell tickets, Neymar's presence would have been a boon.
NDTV
an hour ago
- NDTV
Kuldeep Yadav Out, No Gill Or Nair At No. 3: Gautam Gambhir Sent Blunt India XI Message
Quick Read Summary is AI generated, newsroom reviewed Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli's retirements have thrown fresh challenges to head coach Gautam Gambhir. KL Rahul's recent performances suggest he will open alongside Yashasvi Jaiswal in the lineup. A T20 World Cup-winning ex-Indian player has advised the team management against picking Kuldeep Yadav. Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli 's Test retirements have given India plenty to ponder ahead of the upcoming Test series against England, starting June 20. Ever since the squad was announced, a lot has been said and written about how India could lineup for the first Test in Leeds. Some of the India stars were in action recently, playing two unofficial Tests against the England Lions. In the second game at Northampton, KL Rahul smashed a century in the first innings, before following it up with another 50-plus score, all but cementing his place as one of the openers. Former India opener Robin Uthappa has urged head coach Gautam Gambhir to stick with Rahul as opener, alongside Yashasvi Jaiswal. He also vouched for the inclusion of southpaw Sai Sudharsan, pushing captain Shubman Gill to no. 4 and Karun Nair to five, respectively. "For me, I want to start stronger right at the top, and I would want KL Rahul to open there. With the kind of success he has gotten there, with just the way he batted in Australia, and the way he has batted in the past in England augurs well for India to get him to open the batting," Uthappa said on Star Sports. "At No. 3, I would love to see someone like Sai Sudharsan because of how technically right he is, and the potential he possesses as what we feel and believe he can do and achieve in Test cricket. No. 4, Shubman Gill for sure. My No. 5 would be Karun Nair because you want a little bit of experience there," he added. Uthappa picked Rishabh Pant as his wicketkeeper and Ravindra Jadeja as the lone spinner. "No. 6 - Rishabh Pant, I love him at No. 6. I think that's his sweet spot. At No. 7, I will have Nitish Kumar Reddy because he is a proper fast-bowling all-rounder, your fourth fast-bowling option," he explained. He also picked Nitish Kumar Reddy to add more depth to the batting, thus ignoring Kuldeep Yadav. "I will have Jadeja. Again, increased depth, scores runs, and has scored runs in England as well in Test cricket. So I will have him at No. 8," he concluded. In the pace department, Uthappa picked Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, and Prasidh Krishna.
