Hidden in the heart of the Barracas neighborhood is a monumental 500-square-meter work of art that overflows with soccer passion. If you’ve always wanted to see the Sistine Chapel, you no longer have to go to the Vatican because Buenos Aires has its own Soccer Sistine Chapel.
The Sistine Chapel of Buenos Aires: The Ceiling That Challenges Michelangelo
If you walk down Alvarado Street to number 2785, you’ll come across the facade of the Club Sportivo Pereyra de Barracas, a social and sports club founded in 1925 where soccer is in the air. But when you enter the main field and look up, you’ll find a soccer lover’s paradise—the “Sistine Chapel of Soccer”—an impressive work of art that pays tribute to the greatest legends of the Argentine National Team, featuring giant images of Messi, Maradona, and Caniggia.
We’re not exaggerating when we say it will take your breath away—it’s a 500-square-meter structure that uniquely recreates *The Creation of Adam*, Michelangelo’s fresco that adorns the Vatican.
Obviously, Buenos Aires’ version of the Sistine Chapel has a local, soccer-themed flair, featuring images of Diego Armando Maradona as God, stretching out his finger to pass the sacred flame to Lionel Messi, in the role of Adam.
Surrounding them are two deities, cherubs, and other figures that complete this masterpiece: Claudio Caniggia, Juan Román Riquelme, Gabriel Batistuta, Ariel Ortega, Mario Alberto Kempes, Sergio “Kun” Agüero, and Ricardo Bochini.
How the Idea Came About
The project was the brainchild of the club’s own leaders, driven primarily by Ricardo Elsegood, the institution’s soccer coordinator. The artist responsible for bringing this vision to life was Argentine artist Santiago Barbeito (known on social media as @santukeee).
Barbeito spent weeks perched on scaffolding several meters high, paying close attention to every detail so that the expressions on the faces of these celestial figures would convey the same epic grandeur as the original.
To protect this gem from the passage of time and the moisture leaks typical of sheet-metal roofs, the artwork wasn’t painted directly onto the plaster; instead, it was mounted on a structure of stretched canvas.
Whether you’re passionate about soccer, urban art, or simply those unusual stories that only happen in Buenos Aires, the “Soccer Sistine Chapel” is a must-see.
📍Location: 2785 AlvaradoStreet, Barracas, CABA.
