New World Champion's Welcome in Spain

Heroes' welcome: Hundreds of thousands line
streets of Madrid as victorious Spanish team arrive home to World Cup parade and
audience with King Juan Carlos

Daily Mail

Spain's World
Cup-winning team arrived home today to a glittering parade through historic
Madrid.

The victorious squad
were welcomed by airport staff decked out in the famous red and yellow of the
national side at Madrid's Barajas airport.

They then travelled
to a hotel to rest, before being received by King Juan Carlos in the Royal
Palace and meeting with Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero.

But the highlight of
their homecoming was the three-mile open-topped bus ride through the Madrid
streets teaming with hundreds of thousands of fans celebrating Spain's first
World Cup title.

Champions return: Spanish captain Iker Casillas lifts the
World Cup as the team parades through Madrid today

One giant party: Overjoyed fans are sprayed with water to
keep cool in the scorching sunshine

Filling the streets: Hundreds of thousands of Spaniards
filled the Madrid streets to welcome the team home

Lighting up the sky: Members of the Spanish Air Force
aerobatic group Patrulla Aguila display colours of the Spain's national flag
during the celebrations

Road block: The Spanish players were given a police
escort

Welcome home: Iker Casillas proudly holds the World Cup
aloft as the team emerged from its plane in Madrid this afternoon

Captain fantastic: Casillas emerged from the Spanish
team's plane alongside manager Vicente del Bosque to thunderous applause from
airport staff

Celebrations: Pilots inside the Spanish team plane wave
flags out of the window with the message 'proud of our national team champions'
on the fuselage

In Royal hands: Spain's King Juan Carlos (middle) holds
the World Cup next to goalkeeper Iker Casillas (right) and coach Vicente del
Bosque (left) at the Royal Palace in Madrid

A cup fit for a princess: The goalkeeper proudly shows off
the winning prize to Princesses Leonor and Sofia, the daughters of Prince Felipe
and Princess Letizia