When Neymar was leaving Barcelona last summer and relations between him and the club were at their worst, there was one man he was still willing to speak to – Raul Sanllehi.
For 15 years the director of football has served the club under three different presidents and he has never lost his ability to stay on side with the players, earn and keep their trust, and provide an important bridge between the dressing room and the board room.
That charisma and those communication skills have also made him instrumental in some of the biggest deals in the club's history.