That honor goes to his iconic header in the Champions League final against Manchester United, which capped off Barcelona’s treble winning 2008-09 season in La Liga, Copa del Rey and the Champions League.
That goal will now be turned into a piece of art by artist Refik Anadol, and auctioned to benefit multiple nonprofits, including Inter Miami CF Foundation’s global partnership with UNICEF.
‘I’ve scored many goals that might have been even more beautiful and valuable — also because of their importance — but the header in the Champions League final against Manchester United has always been my favorite,’ Messi said in a statement released Thursday.
The artwork will be unveiled online by auction house Christie’s on June 11, with a public exhibition beginning July 15 at Christie’s New York at the Rockefeller Center. An international online auction period will be held July 15-22.
‘Top collectors in both the art and football worlds have contacted Christie’s expressing interest,’ Inter Miami’s statement read, adding that people working for Christie’s said the artwork has “the makings of a record-breaking sale.’
To score the goal, 5-foot-7 Messi leapt nearly 9 feet (2.70 meters) in the air, using his head to score past Manchester United goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar on a pinpoint pass from Xavi Hernández.
Messi lost his left cleat mid-air, picked it up and kissed it as he ran toward a corner to celebrate the first of his three Champions League titles with Barcelona.
‘Leo Messi’s goal is more than a defining moment in sport — it is a complex expression of human intent, memory, and motion,” the artist said.Said Messi: ‘I already knew how special Refik Anadol’s work is, and after we had the chance to meet in Miami, it’s going to be exciting to see how he can transform a goal — a moment in sports — into a unique piece of art, like the ones he creates.’
Messi, 37, has accomplished a lot since that iconic moment. He scored the 860th goal of his career for club and country on May 10 with Inter Miami during a 4-1 loss to Minnesota United.
The Argentine World Cup champion and eight-time Ballon d’Or winner trails only Cristiano Ronaldo (934) on the all-time scoring list. He is Argentina’s all-time leading scorer with 112 goals, and he’s scored 672 goals with Barcelona, 32 goals with Paris Saint-Germain and 44 goals with Inter Miami.