World Champions Spain celebrates historic win
The Spanish football team is on a celebratory tour in Madrid after returning home with the greatest prize in international football. They European Champions clinched the World Cup trophy as well by toppling over three-time finalists Netherlands at the Soccer City stadium to send the Spaniards into frenzy.
This victory has proven that the Spaniards know how to party and how to party long and hard as their 80-year long wait for the trophy has finally come to an end.
Thousands of fans were out on the streets Madrid on Monday to welcome the greatest ever Spanish football team that has won them the European as well as the World title as well.
With the fans going wild, firemen sprayed water over the fans to cool them down in the heat due to a scorching day in the capital city.
Temperatures were touching 40 degrees Celsius as the World cup winners quickly boarded a bus and were taken to a local hotel to change in preparation for a meeting with the King Juan Carlos. Spain’s ceremonial head was unable to attend the greatest moment in Spanish football in Johannesburg last Sunday due to doctors' advice.
The team that was overwhelmed by their historic occasion looked tired and jaded, yet they had huge smiles of satisfaction on their faces as they met Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero.
After the twin receptions, the national celebrities sat in a open-topped bus and went on a round of the capital.
The players wore traditional Spanish T-shirts in red with "World Champions" emblazoned across the front.
The fans waved flags and took photographs as they thoroughly enjoyed the love and affection showered on them by their countrymen.
Some of the players took out their video cameras, as they filmed the delight amongst their adoring fans that were lined up wearing the red and yellow of Spain as music thumped out from huge speakers.
The bus ride ended at a newly erected stage on the banks of the river Manzanares.
The stage was then used for public addresses by team captain Ikler Casillas and midfielder Andres Iniesta who scored the winning goal in the final. Striker David Villa, who had an outstanding run scoring five goals in the tournament and coach Vicente Del Bosque, also spoke on the occasion.
Casillas further said it was the realization of a dream.
On the other hand, Iniesta claimed that he was proud "to be part of the best team in the world”.
Villa remarked that the tournament was the happiest occasion of his career and said that it was great to be amongst a happy, smiling crowd.
The striker urged the delirious fans to enjoy the occasion because they deserved it.
Team coach Vicente del Bosque thanked the fans for all their support while the team was in South Africa, especially after they lost their opening match against the Swiss team.
"I think you also are champions of the world," he told the roaring fans.
Meanwhile the team returned to a heroes' welcome at the Madrid airport where a red carpet was awaiting them.
The Spanish media has praised the team by calling them the best ever and asked the nation to celebrate the special achievement by a golden generation of players who had won a famous final.
The media called the World cup campaign a fairy tale story, given the early misfortune of the loss against the Swiss that had disappointed the entire nation, yet at the end of it all it was all worthy as the team returned home with the glittering trophy.
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