World Cup Winners Spain Be Given Heroes Welcome Home

Spain's triumphant World Cup squad go backed to a heroes' welcome in Madrid with hundreds of thousands of fans applauding and cheering the team as they paraded through the capital's streets on an open top bus.

The crowd chanted "Campeones! Campeones! Campeones!" and waved red and gold Spanish flags at the players as the black bus crawled along a roughly eight-kilometer (five-mile) route through the city's main thoroughfares Monday amid blazing temperatures.

Real Madrid goal keeper Iker Casillas gestured a Spanish flag with a black bull on it as the bus passed the central Cibeles fountain, while Barcelona midfielder Xavi simulated throwing the trophy at the triumphant crowd.

Air force fighter jets fly overhead leaving the Spanish colors streaked in the sky.
The parade ended at the esplanade near the riverside Puente del Rey, where the festivities continued officially until midnight.

Couple of years ago Spain won 2008 European Championships but had never even reached a World Cup final before. Until this year the best Spain had managed were the quarter-finals.
Barcelona midfielder Andres Iniesta, who scored the winning goal against the Netherlands just four minutes before the final whistle, presented the prime minister with a red team jersey signed by all the players.

Just before 2:00 pm (1200GMT) the Spanish squad arrived at Madrid’s Barajas airport on an Iberia plane that features Spanish flags flying from the cockpit windows.

An enormous cheer erupted from a crowd gathered at the airport when keeper Iker Casillas emerged from the plane with coach Vicente del Bosque and held aloft the golden trophy.

Sports daily AS stated on its front page that Iniesta "scored the most important goal in our history" while sports daily Marca said his goal "lifted Spanish football to the highest possible level.