Lionel Messi just became a free agent after 2 decades with FC Barcelona. Here's how the world's best player got to this moment.

Shortly after Barcelona was thumped 8-2 in the Champions League by Bayern Munich, Messi declared his intention to leave the Catalan club.

The Argentine communicated with the club by way of burofax that he planned to activate a clause in his contract that would allow him to leave for free despite him still having one year left on his deal.

Though Messi was adamant he was able to leave Barcelona for free, the club thought otherwise.

The Spanish giant argued that the clause in the Argentine's contract that would allow him to leave for free had expired due to the delay in the season's end caused by the global coronavirus pandemic.

Should any other club wish to sign Messi, Barcelona insisted, they must meet the star's $825 million buyout clause.

In an interview with Goal, Messi revealed to the world he would stay with Barcelona for one more year, but not because he wanted to.

"I am going to continue in the club because the president told me that the only way to leave was to pay the [release] clause, and that this is impossible," he said.

"There was another way and it was to go to trial," he added. "I would never go to court against Barca because it is the club that I love, which gave me everything since I arrived.

"It is the club of my life, I have made my life here.

"Barca gave me everything and I gave it everything. I know that it never crossed my mind to take Barca to court."

In a move that further hurt Messi's relationship with Barcelona, club legend Luis Suarez was sold to rival Atletico Madrid for a mere $8.5 million.

The Uruguayan was reportedly told that he was surplus to requirements by way of a short and brutal phone call, prompting Messi to publicly slam the club.

"You deserved a send-off matching who you are — one of the most important players in the club's history, achieving important things both as a group and individually," Messi wrote on Instagram.

"Not to get thrown out like you have been. But the truth is at this point nothing surprises me."

Josep Maria Bartomeu stepped down along with the rest of the club's board of directors in the wake of Messi's transfer saga.

The Spaniard had endured a tense relationship with the Argentine during his six year tenure.

After he resigned, Messi said the former president had cheated him "many times."

"I prefer not to talk about private things that happened, I am not going to bring up what was said and what was promised, but I can assure you that many, many times in several years," he told La Sexta.

Among the candidates to replace Bartomeu were Emili Rousaud, Toni Freixa, and former club president Joan Laporta.

The key to winning the election was being able to keep Messi at the Camp Nou, which Laporta believed he was the best man to do given his previous relationship with the player.

"The priority is to make a proposal to Lionel that convinces him to stay. I hope I arrive in time. And I have an advantage: Messi's trust," said Laporta, who was previously Barcelona president between 2003 and 2010.

"He knows the offer I make will be real and I will fulfill it. I think that will help a lot and is an advantage over the other candidates."

After victory, Laporta revealed Messi had congratulated him.

"I am convinced that he wants to stay. And yes, he has already congratulated me for winning," Laporta said.

He added: "We will soon have a quiet talk and decide his future."

Hampered by $1.4 billion worth of debt, Barcelona has yet to table an agreeable offer that would see Messi stay.

Spanish soccer expert Guillem Balague said at the end of June that in order to keep Messi, Barca will have to reduce its wage bill by around $240 million.

That would likely mean a pay cut for Messi, as well as the sale of a number of players.

Balague said the club was negotiating directly with Messi's father and representative, Jorge Messi, but the two parties had yet to come to an "agreement on all the points of a very complicated contract."

As of July 1, Messi is now free to join any other club in the world — though only one or two will actually be able to afford him.

Whether he leaves Barcelona or stays remains unclear.