Madrid, July 20 (EFE).- The Spanish national team arrived at 10:10 pm local time on Monday at Plaza de Cibeles, in downtown Madrid next to City Hall, for the celebration of their second World Cup, after defeating Argentina 1-0 in the final the day before.
The celebrations started in the audience chamber and the gardens of La Zarzuela Palace, where King Felipe VI, alongside Queen Letizia, Princess Leonor, and Infanta Sofía, congratulated the national team on an “epic triumph” at the World Cup.
The soccer delegation, the players and the Royal family posed for the official photograph, alongside the Minister of Education and Sports, Milagros Tolón, and the president of the Higher Sports Council, José Manuel Rodríguez Uribes.
The congratulatory parade then continued to La Moncloa Palace, where the national team met Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, numerous employees of the complex, family members, and guests who applauded the players and coaching staff.
The PM thanked them for their play, effort, and victory, and said that the team had given everyone “great enjoyment.”
After leaving Moncloa around 8:00 pm, the team’s bus wound through the streets of Princesa, Alberto Aguilera, Carranza, Sagasta, Génova, Goya, Serrano, Plaza de la Independencia, Puerta de Alcalá, Alfonso XII, and Montalbán, across Madrid’s city center.
According to the Government Delegation, nearly 2 million people took to the streets of the Spanish capital to cheer on the world champions.
At Cibeles, the festivities had begun at 7:00 pm, featuring musical performances by groups such as Arde Bogotá and Viva Suecia, as well as singers Ana Mena, Lola Índigo, and Aitana.
According to data from the Government Delegation, some 120,000 people were waiting there for the world champions.
The main event of the celebration was scheduled to run from 9:00 pm to 11:00 pm, but the festivities are running behind schedule as the team’s flight from New York arrived around half an hour late. EFE
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