Departing Paris Saint-Germain head coach Unai Emery has claimed that Neymar is "the leader" at the Parc des Princes.
The Brazil international joined PSG in a world-record £198m switch from Barcelona last August and has impressed with 28 goals and 19 assists in 30 appearances prior to suffering a foot injury.
Although PSG won the Ligue 1 title and sit on the verge of a domestic treble, the club were knocked out of the Champions League at the last-16 stage by Real Madrid.
Emery has not had his contract extended beyond the end of the campaign and, in an interview with Spanish online magazine The Tactical Room, the Spaniard acknowledged Neymar's status as the most important individual at the club.
"One day, Jorge Valdano (former player, coach and director at Real Madrid) made me the following reflection, 'At Barcelona the leader is [Lionel] Messi; at Madrid it is [president] Florentino Perez, and the Atletico de Madrid [leader] is Diego Simeone," said Emery.
"A player, a president and a coach. Each time, a different leader profile. I know when I'm the main person in a group and when I'm not. It's a process that every coach has to live and internalise, it's something you learn with time and experience.
"In each club you must know what role you play and what role you assign to the rest of the group. My opinion is that at PSG the leader is called Neymar. Or more exactly, the leader will be called Neymar, because that is what he is becoming. Neymar came to PSG to be the leader, to live the necessary process to become the world's number one.
"This is a process that still needs a little bit of time to consolidate. In Manchester City, the chief is Pep [Guardiola]. At PSG, the leader must be Neymar."
Neymar is contracted to PSG until June 2022.
Giuseppe Labellarte
