Can you believe it? Lionel Messi is unemployed as USD 674 million 4-year Barcelona contract expires

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Barcelona, July 1: Can you believe it? Argentine striker Lionel Messi has finally become a free agent after his contract with Barcelona expired on June 30.

Barcelona was hopeful of renewing Messi's contract before the June 30 deadline, however it has not been yet and as a result, the 34-year-old is now officially a free agent, reported Goal.com.

Messi had expressed his desire to leave the club at the end of the 2019-20 season.

However, after a lot of deliberations, Barcelona was able to keep the Argentine striker for one more season. The striker is currently with the Argetina squad for the ongoing Copa America.

The side will next play against Ecuador in the quarterfinals of the tournament on Sunday (July 4).

Messi had risen to the occasion as Argentina defeated Bolivia in the ongoing Copa America on June 29. Messi scored two goals as Argentina defeated Bolivia 4-1 to finish at the top of Group A in the ongoing Copa America with 10 points from four games.

As he stepped onto the field to play against Bolivia, Messi broke Argentina's record for most national team caps.

This was the 148th time that Messi walked out to the pitch to represent Argentina.

Messi went past Javier Mascherano to achieve the feat. In the game, Messi scored two goals in the 33rd and 42nd minutes respectively.

Since 2009, Messi has appeared 411 times for Barcelona and scored a staggering 420 goals with 165 assists and 35 hat-tricks, more than any other player during this period in the La Liga.

As of now, Messi's contract, that has four-year validity and was signed in the 2016-17 season, was worth a whopping USD 674 million. That contract has now been expired and he is currently unemployed.

Messi's La Liga rivalry with Cristiano Ronaldo of Real Madrid has been a well-chronicled affair before the latter moved to Juventus in the Serie A in Italy.