Spain's World Cup heroes return home ahead of victory parade

Spain's newly crowned World Cup champions on Monday arrived back in Madrid, where a million fans are expected to greet them after a night of raucous celebrations across the country.

Spain captain Rodri held the World Cup trophy aloft at the top of the stairs as he descended from the Iberia plane that flew the team home from the United States after clinching their second star.

Spain's 1-0 victory over Argentina in New Jersey on Sunday, secured by a Ferran Torres strike in extra-time, has sparked an outpouring of national pride in the football-mad country, whose only other World Cup triumph came in 2010.

Many younger supporters were not yet born when Andres Iniesta''s extra-time goal against the Netherlands secured Spain''s first World Cup in South Africa 16 years ago.

On Monday morning, the Castellana, Madrid's main avenue, bore the marks of a boozy evening -- the tarmac strewn with trash, beer cans and shards of glass.

Among the last remaining supporters, some slept with grins on their faces on the pavement or on benches, while others were still staggering home as cleaning crews worked from the early hours to prepare the route for tonight's party.

"I didn't sleep much, because... (of) the celebration and then the tension of the match -- I think it was a little more difficult for all of us to fall asleep," Madrid mayor Jose Luis Martinez-Almeida told RNE radio.

After landing the players will be received by King Felipe VI at Zarzuela Palace, on the outskirts of Madrid, according to the mayor.

The team will then be met by Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez at the government headquarters, La Moncloa.

Spain's World Cup winners will enjoy an open-top bus parade, starting at Moncloa and heading to Cibeles square, the central government's representative in Madrid, Francisco Martin, told Spanish public television.
A ceremony involving the players will then be held at the square, the traditional gathering point for celebrations by the Spanish national team and its supporters.

Around one million people are expected to line the parade route, with additional security and transport measures planned to handle the crowds, Martin said.

Some supporters, who already had only a short night's sleep, are planning to celebrate again, like Bruno Gonzalez del Yerro, a 32-year-old financier.

"We'll have to celebrate it one way or another, given that it only happens every four years and that Spain hadn''t won it for about (sixteen) years now -- it definitely deserves a party," he said.

Spain's women's side won the World Cup in 2023, meaning for the first time a country has both trophies at the same time.

In 2030 Spain will defend their crown on home soil, as one of the World Cup hosts along with Portugal and Morocco.

The Spanish press was running out of superlatives to describe its heroes after they overcame favourites France in the semi-finals before downing Argentina.

"The kings of all-time!" wrote Marca, celebrating a "second star that will now be stitched onto the Spanish jersey after yet another masterclass in collective play."

On a tragic note, a 13-year-old boy was killed around midnight in the town of Ciudad Rodrigo in the west, after a fountain crumbled under the weight of supporters who had climbed onto it to celebrate.

In Buenos Aires the initial silence after defeat was striking, and then the tears came once the reality sank in, their hopes of a fourth World Cup were dashed, but hundreds of thousands of people are expected to greet the team on their return at 5:00 pm local time (20:00 GMT).

After more than five weeks of competition with the expanded format and 48 teams, only Spain and Argentina were left standing by the 104th and final match.

The 2022 champions, despite the presence of all-time great Lionel Messi, failed to create clear chances against Spain''s well-organised and more positive side.

Enzo Fernandez's red card left Argentina with their backs pinned to the wall and Barcelona forward Torres slammed home after fellow substitute Nico Williams teed him up.

"It's not my goal, it''s the goal of 47 million people," said Spain''s match-winner.

Messi had a sensational World Cup but drifted through the final like a ghost, shedding tears at the end. In Madrid, tears will also flow on Monday night, but tears of joy.