7 504 days after signing his first contract with FC Barcelona, Lionel Messi is officially a free agent.
The Argentine's 20-year journey with the club has potentially come to an end, and the forward is now technically free to join another club amid reports of interest from European giants Manchester City and Paris Saint-Germain, who are reportedly the only clubs who can afford Messi wages.
Read: Barca's mass exodus continues
About 11 months ago, Messi's representatives sent a burofax to the Blaugrana requesting that he be allowed to leave the Camp Nou, but his attempts were foiled as former Barca president Josep Maria Bartomeu refused to let him go.
With the Argentine having eventually agreed to stay on for the 2020/21 campaign, his contact with the club has now officially expired.
However, the 34-year-old is still expected to stay with the Catalan giants, and a two-year contract extension is said to be in the process of negotiation, with Marca having reported that the club's financial problems are the reason a new deal has not yet been signed.
Barca president Joan Laporta urged fans to not panic in a recent interview.
"We want Lionel Messi to stay and Leo wants to stay. Everything is on track – we have the issue of Financial Fair Play, we are in the process of finding the best solution for both parties," he told El Transistor.
The six-time Ballon d'Or winner made his debut for the Blaugrana's senior side in November 2003, and has gone on to claim 35 trophies, 672 goals and 288 assists in his 18-year professional career with the Catalan giants.
Scroll through the gallery below to see Messi and his teammates in action in their recent 4-1 triumph over Bolivia at the 2021 Copa America