Jubilant Madrid welcomes Spain’s World Cup heroes as nearly two million join celebrations
The Spain squad arrived back in Madrid on Monday afternoon following a flight from New York.
World champions Spain have revelled in huge celebrations of their success on the streets of Madrid.
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Fresh from Sunday night’s 1-0 extra-time win over Argentina in the World Cup final, the Spain squad arrived back in Madrid on Monday afternoon following a flight from New York.
They were received by the Royal Family at the Zarzuela Palace before continuing on to the Moncloa Palace to meet Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez.
There then followed an open-top bus parade through the streets of Madrid to a celebration at the Plaza de Cibeles, with a reported two million people taking to the streets to welcome them.
Speaking on stage, coach Luis de la Fuente greeted the crowds, saying: “Thank you Spain for supporting us, for being here. We are lucky to have 26 fantastic people who are also fantastic footballers, the best in the world.
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“For me, it is an honour to manage them and share this moment with my coaching staff. Together we are stronger, don’t forget that. Long live Spain!”
In comments reported by Marca, captain Rodri said: “We are world champions. Long live the mother who gave birth to me, long live the mothers who gave birth to us. Long live the King. Long live Spain.”
Ferran Torres scored Spain’s winning goal in the 106th minute of a poor final in East Rutherford.
Argentina had Chelsea’s Enzo Fernandez sent off in stoppage time at the end of the 90 minutes, and failed to register an attempt on target.