Would Lionel Messi Make it in Every Country?

Could he do it on a cold Tuesday night in Stoke?This appears to be the true measure of a world-beating footballer in today's Premier League driven media. Forget scoring in Champions League finals, winning El Clasicos or appearing at the World Cup; it is all irrelevant if a player cannot survive an English winter being kicked off the pitch and defending notorious long throw ins.

It isn't a question asked of goalkeepers, defenders or hard-tackling midfield generals but of the flair players the fans love to watch.Three times Ballon d'Or winner Lionel Messi is routinely doubted by those who feel he couldn't cut it in a league with a greater physical element than La Liga. After scoring four goals in a Champions League tie versus Arsenal, the applause from the pundits was quickly replaced by the debate of whether the little Argentine would be capable of repeating his exploits in England.

The question should have already been answered, surely four goals against a top Premier League side proved that Messi is among the world's best and would prove a revelation no matter what who his club played?While Barcelona would challenge teams with a more physical approach without fear, perhaps the real question is would Messi be able to perform as spectacularly away from the Catalan club?

From the age of 13, Lionel Messi has been schooled in the Barcelona footballing tradition. Among players such as Xavi, Iniesta and Fabregas he has the support of others who have been taught to play football in a certain way and have been allowed to develop and build a team together.Messi has benefitted considerably from having reliable team-mates who all share an understanding of each other plays and how help them play to their best.

If Messiwas taken out of this system it would be interesting to see how he would perform. Would he thrive without knowing a perfectly weighted pass from Xavi will meet with perfectly timed run? It is a question worth asking, with Messi often not demonstrating similarly impressive performances for his national team.Michael Owen expressed his doubts when discussing who was a better player, Messi or Ronaldo, “I think Messi just edges it for me but I reckon Ronaldo would be as good as he is in any team whereas I'm not so sure that Messi would be.”

What is known is that Lionel Messi has a great amount of individual talent and players like him do not loss their ability if they play for other clubs.If the Barcelona star was only half as effective for another club he would still likely shine above the rest. His ability to pass, dribble and score would be an asset to any club side.

And could Lionel Messi perform in the Premier League?Undoubtedly. Despite Spain's focus on possession and passing the Argentine is routinely fouled by players who feel that is the only way to stop him. A player who can manage 60 appearances in one season is quite clearly equipped to deal with the physical aspects of the game.

However, most of these questions remain hypothetical with Lionel Messi expected to remain at Barcelona for the remainder of his career; one of the modern games rare one-club men. Speaking to Sky Sports in March he declared, 'The truth is my idea has been to always stay in Barcelona and see out the rest of my career here.Like I always say, one doesn't know what can happen in the future but if it were up to me to decide, I would stay at Barcelona for the rest of my career.'

For Barcelona and all those who love to see Messi thrive this is probably the best outcome.Watching Lionel Messi for the club he belongs to is magical and long may it continue.