'GOAT's Choice': Lionel Messi Picks Iconic 2009 UCL Final Header As Career Favourite

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Last Updated:May 23, 2025, 16:33 IST

The Argentine picked his extremity for Barcelona against Man United arsenic his favourite and the onslaught is acceptable to beryllium immortalised by creator Refik Anadol.

Lionel Messi's 2009 UCL Final extremity for Barcelona Vs Manchester United. (X)

One of football’s all-time greats, Lionel Messi, revealed his favourite extremity of his iconic career. The legendary Argentine forward, 1 of the starring goalscorers successful nine and planetary football, named the extremity of each goals that is the closest to his heart. Looking implicit his winning extremity astatine the 2022 World Cup, Messi called the header helium executed to unafraid FC Barcelona the 2009 UEFA Champions League crown against Manchester United arsenic his idiosyncratic favourite.

“I had galore goals that are possibly adjacent much beauteous and of tremendous value, besides due to the fact that of their importance, but the header successful the Champions League last against Manchester United was ever my favourite," Messi told ESPN upon joining hands with Inter Miami CF Foundation’s ‘A Goal successful Life’ foundation initiative.

Messi’s onslaught remains 1 of the astir celebrated goals successful Champions League past arsenic his header ensured a 2-0 triumph for Barcelona against the Red Devils nether Pep Guardiola astatine Rome’s Stadio Olimpico connected May 27, 2009. Approaching the goal’s 16th anniversary, Messi deemed it the astir iconic extremity of his large vocation among implicit 800 goals the fable has scored for Argentina, Barcelona, Paris Saint-Germain and Inter Miami.

The celebrated header saw the 5’7" Messi leap higher than United’s erstwhile defender Rio Ferdinand to conscionable Xavi’s cross, pushing the shot implicit goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar. Messi remembers that infinitesimal fondly. “It was hard to ideate that I was going to people with my caput with Ferdinand lasting adjacent me, but I did not truly person a marker — the shot came into the centre and I was determination to conscionable it," helium recalled.

Messi’s extremity held large value successful Barcelona’s shot past arsenic it ensured the nine a treble for the season. “It was specified an important extremity successful each sense: for the team, for the mode the last was turning successful our favour and for me, too. It is inactive 1 of my favourite goals," helium said.

The extremity volition present beryllium immortalised by celebrated creator Refik Anadol, who is acceptable to crook it into a unsocial integer artwork. Anadol volition usage artificial quality to make a portion of creation that champion embodies Messi’s match-winning goal. Thousands of information points from the lucifer volition beryllium utilized to alteration the instauration of the creation for which the audiovisual rights of the extremity person already been donated by UEFA.

The portion volition beryllium auctioned for charity, with the proceeds going towards acquisition initiatives successful Latin America and the Caribbean successful collaboration with UNICEF. Christie’s website volition person the ceremonial unveiling done connected June 11 earlier the creation is made disposable for nationalist viewing from July 15 to 21 successful New York. The bidding for the Messi artwork tin beryllium done online until July 25.

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