Real Madrid 5-0 Deportivo: 5 things we learned as Gareth Bale hat-trick kicks off Zidane era

Gareth Bale shone as Real Madrid thumped Deportivo La Coruña 5-0 in Zinedine Zidane's first game as manager.

The Welshman scored a brilliant hat-trick as the visitors struggled to contain a strongly attack-minded Madrid line-up from Zidane.

World Cup winner Zizou went with the much-vaunted BBC frontline as he had promised in his first press conference, but stuck a ball-playing midfield of Isco, Toni Kroos and Luka Modric behind them.

And it paid off as Madrid hit Depor for four unanswered goals.

Karim Benzema, who had described Zidane as "like a big brother", fittingly grabbed the opener with a backheel before Bale's hat-trick took the game out of sight. Benzema scored a fifth in stoppage time to complete the rout.

Heel the world, Benzema scores the first goal of the Zidane era

Real Madrid: Navas, Carvajal, Varane, Ramos, Marcelo Modric, Kroos, Isco, Bale, Benzema, Cristiano.

Deportivo: Lux; Navarro, Sidnei, Arribas, Juanfran; Mosquera, Bergantiños; Fajr, Alberto, Cartabia; Lucas Pérez.

But what did we learn? Ed Malyon was at the Bernabeu.

Zidane’s first line-up

James Rodriguez may sell more shirts but Isco was preferred to the Colombian in Zinedine Zidane’s first Real Madrid XI.

The Malaga-born playmaker is a favourite of both the fans and the president at the Bernabeu, and his 90 minutes of watching from the bench in Valencia last Sunday was a factor in bringing about the demise of Rafael Benitez.