Bringing the beautiful game’s wildest origin stories to life with the help of Made with Lenovo Yoga × Microsoft Copilot.

While football's biggest moments are replayed endlessly, many of the stories that shaped the game have faded into history. We saw an opportunity to bring them back for a new generation of fans.

"The Football Files" is a series of AI-powered films exploring football's untold history. Launched during the FIFA World Cup, we set out to celebrate football with captivating storytelling in this next episode of our ongoing Made with Lenovo Yoga creator platform.

The result? A unique creator collaboration, a set of AI generated videos, almost 300 million views, and super positive sentiment.

RETELLING HISTORY FOR A NEW GENERATION

Football needs passionate storytellers. So we brought football creator Ben Black (opens in new tab) and four AI filmmakers together to turn real moments from football history into cinematic social films.

Blending fact with imagination, the campaign made history feel fresh, entertaining, and built for today's audiences. Then gave Ben Black a series of cameos in them as well.

INTRODUCING...

THE FOOTBALL FILES

Each creator tackled a different chapter of the game, from the invention of the red and yellow cards to the evolution of the football itself. We created long form videos, combined with shorter lower funnel cuts.

Alongside the hero films, we created 30-second anthem-style TVCs that celebrated the game's rich history.

FROM HISTORY LESSON TO SOCIAL ENTERTAINMENT

Every film was created on Lenovo Yoga 9i 2-in-1 Aura edition, using Microsoft Copilot and AI creative tools.

Matt Zien traces football across time, from ancient civilizations to a million years in the future. Different cultures. Different worlds. But one constant: someone always picks up the ball.

Mike Bennion (opens in new tab) imagines the unlikely origins of keepie uppies, where an Indian teen named Kepi Uppai accidentally becomes a football legend after juggling a cantaloupe.

Victor Bonafonte brings the true story behind the red and yellow card to life, turning a referee's stop at a traffic light into a cinematic moment of football history.

Ceej Vega explores the evolution of the ball itself, from skulls and rocks to tumbleweeds and snowballs, before someone finally lands on the now-iconic black-and-white design.

To showcase the craft behind the work, each artist also created a "How I Made It" film, turning the creative process into content and demonstrating how AI and human creativity work together.

ONE CREATOR. EVERY ERA.

Ben Black didn't just host the series. He became part of it.

Using AI, each filmmaker reimagined Ben inside their story—as an ancient footballer, a medieval player, and even a fan one million years in the future.

Ben's recurring cameos tied four distinct films into one connected universe, creating a fresh model for creator collaboration.

AND THE CROWD WENT WILD!

Launched during the FIFA World Cup, "The Football Files" generated 239.4M views and 361,000 engagements in its first week.

More than a successful campaign, it introduced a new creator collaboration model and proved that football's oldest stories can still capture modern audiences.