WATCH: Anything Lionel Messi can do, Gareth Bale can do quicker

Zinedine Zidane didn't exactly struggle to settle into the Bernabeu dugout, did he?

The new Real Madrid manager oversaw less of a match and more of a demolition as his side thrashed Deportivo la Coruna 5-0 on Saturday night. Much of the talk in the build-up to Zidane's first game in charge surrounded the position of Gareth Bale as the Welshman was said to have been "devastated" by Rafael Benitez's sacking. He certainly looked to have gotten over it in his first 90 minutes under Zidane, though, as he smashed home a hat-trick in just forty minutes. The performance could be perceived as a statement of intent to La Liga leaders Barcelona who earned a 4-0 victory over Granada earlier that afternoon, with Messi needing fifty minutes to score a hat-trick... Lazy.

Lionel Messi finally rewarded for being so selfless with the easiest of his 33 hat-tricks. #99GoalsButHeAintDone https://t.co/AtNWS8SVhO

— SportsJOE.ie (@SportsJOEdotie) January 9, 2016