Former Manchester City attacker Denis Suarez has insisted that Barcelona teammate Lionel Messi would be a success in English football.

It has long been debated in England whether Messi, who has scored 467 times in 543 appearances for Barcelona, could perform on a wet and windy night away to Stoke City - a game that is believed to test foreign players.

Suarez responded "of course" when questioned on whether Messi would thrive in English football, claiming that the Argentine would be just as effective if he moved to the Premier League.

"Of course he could [perform]," The Observer quotes Suarez as saying. "He'd pick up the ball, dribble past three players and hit it into the top corner.

"I've seen him seen him do it here in the rain, I've seen him do it in the midday sun. He does it where he wants, when he wants. Messi's unique. Put him in any team in the world and he'd be the best, just the same. And against English teams it usually goes okay for him."

Suarez and Messi were both part of the Barcelona team that recorded a 1-0 win over Granada in La Liga on Saturday night.