Five Ballon d'Ors aren't to be snuffed at but there will forever remain question marks over Lionel Messi's career.
Yes, he's good. Yes, he scores some goals, provides a few assists and a couple of beautiful moments for the highlights reel in every game. All of that nonsense.
But...
But...
Lionel Messi hasn't done it at the Britannia Stadium. Ever. He's never faced Stoke City on a cold and wet midweek night away from home.
How can he ever be judged as a footballer until he does so?
It seems the man himself though isn't having any doubts about his ability to perform in what is becoming the acid test for men everywhere.
During an
interview with Stoke's Bojan, Guillem Balague put it to Messi's former team mate about whether the Argentine can cope at the Britannia.
"Messi can do it," Bojan bellied. "I understand that teams don't like to come to the Britannia Stadium, especially in winter with the wind, the cold, and we're a strong team. It's not easy. But I try to enjoy it and I try to improve my football in that situation."
And Messi isn't scared of the big bad Stoke either as Balague revealed when he told Bojan: "I asked Messi about that."
"He said, 'Those people that say that should realise I played in awful conditions in Rosario when I was 11 years old, with glass on the pitch, with holes and everything.' And he also played good."
