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Spain beat Argentina 1-0 in the final of the FIFA tournament on Sunday, July 19
NEED TO KNOW
- Spain’s soccer team celebrated their World Cup win with an open-top bus parade in Madrid on Monday, July 20
- Captain Rodri reflected on the team’s journey and called the triumph “the most beautiful thing there is”
- Spain beat Argentina 1-0 in the final on Sunday, July 19, at the New York New Jersey Stadium
Spain’s World Cup winning team had quite the welcome home!
On Monday, July 20, the soccer world champions toured Madrid in an open-top bus following their 1-0 win over Argentina in the FIFA final.
According to The Guardian, citing Spain’s central government, 1.8 million Spaniards were in attendance to celebrate the team’s triumph, gathering at the Plaza de Cibeles outside the capital’s city hall.
Ahead of their parade, the team met with King Felipe, Queen Letizia and their daughters, Princess Leonor and Princess Sofía, at the Zarzuela palace, before visiting Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez at his official residence in the nearby Moncloa palace.
Speaking at Moncloa palace, Spain’s captain Rodri said that “winning for your country is the most beautiful thing there is,” per The Guardian. “This generation grew up watching [Iker] Casillas and [Andrés] Iniesta lift the cup [in 2010] and having been able to do that today is the biggest thing you can do in football.”
The 30-year-old was pictured sitting at the front of the bus while holding the World Cup trophy aloft to the huge crowd of supporters.
During the final on Sunday, the trophy was carried onto the field by Spanish tennis star Carlos Alcaraz and South Korean actress Jung Ho-yeon in a bespoke Louis Vuitton box, before being presented to Spain by Donald Trump after Ferran Torres scored the winning goal in the 106th minute
King Felipe told the team that their win was “epic triumph,” per The Guardian. “It’s been a privilege and a joy for the four of us to see you play in the final and to be able to celebrate with you that moment of lifting the cup, with immense thanks from all of Spain.”
“You’ve suffered, you’ve come home bruised and tired, you’ve endured some criticism, but what is all that compared with the joy of bringing the cup home?” he added.
Just moments after the final whistle, the game erupted into a violent brawl, with punches being thrown at the New York New Jersey Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J.
Argentina’s Leandro Paredes was sent off for clashing with Spain’s Eric Garcia and Gavi, while Argentina defender Nahuel Molina appeared to try and hit Rodri.
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On Monday, PEOPLE reported that FIFA is set to investigate the post-match interactions on the pitch.
FIFA’s disciplinary committee has appointed a disciplinary and ethics prosecutor to assess what happened, per BBC Sport.
Sanctions — including a three-match suspension — could follow, PEOPLE previously reported, while the Argentine Football Association (AFA) may also be fined, per BBC Sport.
Read the original article on People
