Can Lionel Messi Do It on a Cold, Wet and Windy Night at Stoke? Stoke City Legend Breaks the Myth

There have been a lot of debates on whether top soccer players will be able to play in harsh English climates. Many English fans think it will be tough for the likes of Lionel Messi to play in such conditions. One such ground that imposes such difficult playing conditions is bet365 Stadium, the home ground of Stoke City.

The debates usually serve around Messi as Cristiano Ronaldo has played in the Premier League. But recently, a former Premier League superstar labeled as Human Sling by David Moyes had his say. Rory Delap shared his detailed views about elite players playing in extreme conditions. 

Delap, regarded as the Stoke legend, had a successful seven years stint with the club as a player. He was then in the dugout as an assistant for the next five seasons. Delap knows the conditions in Stoke-on-Trent well. In a recent interview, he busted some myths about playing in Stoke’s Stadium. 

Stoke City legend divulges on Lionel Messi playing in extreme weather

Stoke City, founded in 1863, plays their home games at bet356 Stadium. The fans know it for its extreme weather conditions. Many Stoke fans believe it is an uphill task to play at Stoke. But the club’s legend thinks otherwise. Rory Delap is a massive name in English soccer. He was synonymous with long missile throw-ins. 

But apart from his missile throw-ins, fans knew Delap for playing on extremely cold, wet, and windy nights in Stoke. He spoke to SportsBible recently. When asked about Lionel Messi playing in such critical conditions, Delap said, “I don’t think so, I don’t think so. No, I think the thing you saw with the top players, we made it hard for teams, but we never got a result.”

Before busting the myth around Messi, Delap spoke about three top teams then. He started with Manchester United under Sir Alex Ferguson, visiting Stoke. “So, you know, he set the team up to go and win, and I think they won every game when I was at Stoke. So I think the top players don’t let stuff like that affect them,” Delap said.

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He felt only Arsenal struggled at Stoke. But Chelsea was the one least affected by playing conditions, along with United. “So, you’re talking about Messi and players like that. I think they’re just elite. They’re another level. It doesn’t matter where they go, they will perform,” Delap added, talking of Messi. It seems Delap feels elite players are unfazed by the playing conditions.

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Is it possible that the playing conditions will affect elite soccer players? Let us know your thoughts.