Lionel Messi might be playing Premier League football before 2021 is out.

Ok, sure, it's ambitious, but the slightest possibility that Messi will be signing for Manchester City when his Barcelona deal expires in the summer is one we're willing to grab with both hands.

Let's face it, some twist of fate will probably mean that Messi will see out his career at Camp Nou, but we can be forgiven for imagining a world in which the Ballon d'Or winner moves to England.

The GOAT debate

Besides, if nothing else, it would settle the age-old debate surrounding Messi's ability, or potential lack of, to recreate his magic across several nations.

Those who back Cristiano Ronaldo in the GOAT (greatest of all-time) debate are always quick to point out that the Portuguese has proven himself in England, Spain and Italy.

Don't get us wrong, there are plenty of faults with that argument, but we'd be lying if we said we weren't fascinated by the prospect of Messi putting himself to the test in the Premier League.

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Messi in the Premier League

And although there is little to no evidence that gives us an indication of Messi would perform on a 'cold, windy night in Stoke', we at least have some idea in regards to the 'top six' clubs.

That's because Messi has locked horns with Manchester United, Manchester City, Chelsea, Arsenal, Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur throughout his Barca career in the Champions League.

And while, sure, European football makes for a completely different setting, you'd be hard-pressed to argue that it's not an accurate indicator of how Messi would perform against English clubs.

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Messi vs 'top six' clubs

And let's just say that it's a positive indicator because Messi has put some of the Premier League's most fearsome teams to the sword over the years with a number of stunning individual displays.

Now, it's one thing to say and another thing to prove it, but a fantastic video from Twitter user @MessiMX10i has done exactly that with eight minutes of Messi tearing the 'top six' apart.

Highlighting the sheer quality of his goals against the Premier League juggernauts, you can see exactly why the video has attracted so many retweets and 'likes' by checking it out here:

Oh. My. Word.

Sheer brilliance

Astonishingly, to put the video into context, Messi boasts an astonishing record of 26 goals in 34 games, which puts points him joint-fifth amongst active players to have scored against the clubs.

Only Sergio Aguero, Jamie Vardy, Eden Hazard and Ronaldo can boast superior tallies, but they have, of course, actually played Premier League football, unlike the Barcelona skipper.

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And when you have a marriage of visual and statistical brilliance in football, it's pretty hard to argue with, so make no mistake that Messi would take the Premier League by storm if he chooses to.