Aged 13 Messi joined Barca’s famed La Masia academy in 2000 from Argentine side Newell’s Old Boys and made his senior debut aged 16 in 2004.
He has gone on to make 778 appearances for the club, scoring 672 goals, including 120 Champions League goals (second behind Cristiano Ronaldo), and a record 474 La Liga goals.
He has collected the European Golden Shoe award for the continent’s top scorer on six occasions.
Messi trophy haul graphic
Lionel Messi’s transfer timeline
25 August 2020 – Messi sends a fax to the club saying he wishes to exercise a clause in his contract, allowing him to leave for free with immediate effect.
4 September 2020 – Messi says he is staying at Barcelona because it is “impossible” for any team to pay his 700m euro (£624m) release clause, which the club insist would have to be met.
27 October 2020 – Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu, who had fallen out with Messi over his failed transfer request, resigns.
28 December 2020 – Messi says he hopes to one day play in the United States, but is unsure of his future when his contract runs out.
31 January 2021 – Barcelona say they will take “appropriate legal action” against Spanish newspaper El Mundo after it published details of Messi’s contract, worth £492m over four years.
16 May 2021 – Manager Ronald Koeman says he hopes Messi has not played his final home game for the club after a 2-1 defeat by Celta Vigo ended their title hopes and meant they finished outside the top two for the first time since 2007-08.
22 May 2021 – Paris St-Germain are believed to be “looking closely” at Messi’s contract situation.
28 May 2021 – Barcelona president Joan Laporta says a new contract for Lionel Messi is “not done yet” but that “things are going well”.
1 July 2021 – Messi’s Barcelona contract expires and he becomes a free agent.
15 July 2021 – Messi agrees to stay with Barca on a deal until 2026 that includes reducing his wages.
5 August 2021 – Barcelona announce Lionel Messi will leave the club “because of financial and structural obstacles”.