MADRID (Reuters) - Wesley Sneijder steered champions Real Madrid to a thumping 5-0 victory away to Villarreal that left them top of the Primera Liga on Sunday.

The Dutch midfielder scored two and set up another for Raul in an imperious display at the Madrigal.

His compatriot Ruud van Nistelrooy and Guti scored the others, ending a nine-match winning streak for Villarreal that stretched back to April.

Real are clear at the top with six points after two games, two points ahead of archrivals Barcelona, who were set on their way to a 3-1 home win over Athletic Bilbao by a double strike from Ronaldinho.

"It reminded me of another blond that used to hit the ball like that a few years ago," Real Madrid coach Bernd Schuster said of Sneijder after the game, referring to himself.

"It was a spectacular goal. He's going to score a few more like that this season."

Sneijder told reporters: "I never would have believed I would score three times in two games. It is too early to say if we can win the league, but we are certainly on the right track."