Former Stoke City favourite fondly remembers the ‘best experiences’ of his career at ‘Stokelona’

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Stoke City have enjoyed a perfect start to their Championship campaign, winning both games under Mark Robins.

While they have made a good start to the campaign, there are still some deals that the Potters want to get over the line before the close of the window, including Tomas Rigo.

There are several signings that Stoke City should consider to bolster their squad for the season ahead, with midfield being an area they are targeting.

Stoke City fans will be hopeful that the signings coming in can help them dream about making a return to the Premier League, a division they have not been in since their relegation in 2018.

This era for the club witnessed some of the greatest talents to ever grace Staffordshire, and they were wearing red and white; however, one of the fans’ favourites from this era has opened up about his time at Stoke City.

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Marc Muniesa loved his time at Stoke City

The Catalan defender joined Stoke City in the summer of 2013 from Barcelona, having grown up playing within the academy of the Spanish giants.

It would have been a culture shock for Marc Muniesa at the time to move from Barcelona to Stoke; however, the transition will have been eased by the fact the Potters had been dubbed ‘Stokelona’ due to several players having previously played for the Spanish giants, then stripping out in Staffordshire.

Speaking with Sport, he said: “Well, at no point did I think about playing in England, much less at a team like Stoke, where it was all about direct balls, passing out wide and putting them into the box.

“It was hard. It took me half a year to adapt. They told me I had to gain more muscle mass, more weight. I had barely touched the gym at Barça, and there they told me, ‘If you don’t get strong here, it’s impossible for you to play, much less at centre-back’.

“So, I started playing a lot at full-back, and as time went on, as I gained more weight and more experience, things changed. But for me, those years in the Premier League are one of the best experiences I’ve had during my career.”

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Mark Hughes was a major fan of Marc Muniesa

It may be expected that Mark Hughes would be a fan of Muniesa, since the former Stoke City manager was the man to convince the Catalan to join the club.

However, he appeared to exceed the expectations of Hughes while at the club, and this was clear when the former manager spoke to the club website in 2015.

He said: “He is a very talented player who allows us to play from the back; he demands the ball and is comfortable in tight areas. He really sets the tone for us to obtain a sense of control in matches.

“It was a little bit of a risk to play him against Tottenham because he hasn’t had a great deal of football, but I was very happy with his performance.

“We all know that Ryan is an accomplished Premier League defender, and I’m pleased to see Marc alongside him; he played like he hadn’t been away.”