Barcelona defender Gerard Pique hailed Neymar for his performance in victory over Villarreal.

Neymar opened the scoring in the 4-1 win but it was his trickery in the second half which really excited Camp Nou on Saturday.

"He is a player with exceptional characteristics," Pique said.

"He's magical, although we're in an era in which it seems that magic is penalised and perhaps it's seen as better to give [someone] a kick than to provide a spectacle.

"Players like Neymar make football much better."