He went from being a potential superstar to a figure of ridicule, but Saido Berahino has a clear view on one iconic story from his Stoke City nightmare

Saido Berahino has ridiculed reports of him turning up for a Stoke City match 24 hours early.

The former England U21 international's Premier League career unravelled spectacularly during his two-and-a-half-year spell with the Potters. Two years after he saw a dream move to Tottenham Hotspur be scuppered in the eleventh hour, Berahino joined Stoke in a £12million deal in the 2017 January transfer window.

It was a period which seemed to yield more negative stories than goals. One year after his move, a video uploaded to social media by then team-mate Kurt Zouma, claimed Berahino had turned up for a home match against Manchester United one day early.

It was an incident which gave his dissenters even more ammunition to use against him. More than six years after the video, Berahino shed light on the matter.

Berahino took to X for an entertaining questions and answers session with his 103,500 followers. One fan asked him to clarify what happened in regard to Stoke's clash against United.

The former West Bromwich Albion forward said: "Let’s put this to bed. It wasn’t true. I had a player appearance that’s why I was wearing my tracksuit. And papers still decided to write a stupid story."

It was not the only time Berahino, who now plays for Cypriot side AEL Limassol, poured scorn over his former side. When one supporter asked him why he did not hit the heights at Stoke, the now 30-year-old described the club as a "s*** place to work".

Berahino failed to score a single Premier League goal during his time at the bet365 Stadium, contributing only one assist in 15 appearances in the top flight. He managed to find the net when the Potters were relegated to the Championship, where he contributed three goals and one assist in 23 appearances.

The striker would leave the club in the 2019 summer transfer window and join Belgian side Zulta Waregem. He has become somewhat of a football journey man, as he has also played for fellow Belgian side Charleroi SC and Sheffield Wednesday, before joining the Cypriot side in the 2022-23 campaign.

Berahino has also earned 17 international caps with Burundi, scoring two goals and helping himself to one assist for the Eastern Africa country.