In front of the 500,000 Spaniards who were gathered on the streets of Madrid, Spain coach Luis de la Fuente took the microphone and emulated Julio Iglesias by singing Quijote, one of his most famous songs: “I am of those who dream of freedom, captain of a sailboat that has no sea, I am of those who live looking for a place, I am Quijote of a time that has no age.”
Many of those present, most of them children, barely knew the lyrics, given the song is from 1982. But that did not really matter. De la Fuente’s performance served as the end of their title celebrations as coach, players and fans entered the early hours of Tuesday.
The Spanish national team had become the first to win the men’s European Championship four times. The party had gone on for more than 24 hours.
Soon after beating England 2-1 in the final and lifting the trophy on the pitch of the Olympic Stadium in Berlin, most of the national team players began the celebrations by jumping into the stands and hugging their families.
Alvaro Morata acted as master of ceremonies and led the after-party. In the dressing room and in the corridors of the stadium, he drove around at full speed on a gigantic wheeled loudspeaker that blared out hits.
De la Fuente celebrating with the crowd (Cesar Manso / AFP via Getty Images)
The whole team was in a hurry to get to the Grand Hyatt Berlin, where their families and close friends had returned after the final. They were waiting for the squad. They all celebrated late into the night on Sunday.
Few managed to sleep.
There, in one of the hotel’s lounges, Morata began to rehearse the show he would give hours later in the Plaza de Cibeles in Madrid.
The next day, the return flight — scheduled for 11.00am — was delayed by more than an hour. Despite this, the crew welcomed the players on the plane with a chocolate and raspberry cake weighing more than 6kg to recharge their batteries before the party started again in Madrid.
After a meal and a short ‘siesta’, the first stop was La Zarzuela, the official residence of King Felipe VI of Spain, who received the champions together with Queen Leticia and Princesses Leonor and Sofia.
It was a solemn meeting, but the most endearing image was Lamine Yamal’s greeting to Princess Sofia. The two are the same age — 17 — and Yamal introduced himself with great formality, despite clearly being a little bit nervous.
All the players wore a white shirt with the motto ‘Kings of Europe’ with the number 4 (for the titles won in 1964, 2008, 2012 and now in 2024). A red playing shirt with the same printing was presented to King Felipe, who was very happy.
By this time — at around 7.30pm local time in Spain — thousands of people were already crowding in front of the stage in front of Madrid’s City Hall and behind the Cibeles Fountain.
A session by DJ Wally Lopez amped up the atmosphere. But high heat — over 30 degrees Celcius — meant dozens of children squeezed into the crowd had to be transferred in wheelchairs to the emergency stations to treat them for heat stroke or fainting.
Even in the heat, nobody wanted to miss seeing the champions. But before the party could begin, there was still a second formal stop at the Moncloa, the residence of prime minister Pedro Sanchez.
Sanchez praised the team’s play (“We have a national team that has played brilliantly”) and the record number of European Championships and matches won (“I think it’s the first time in history a winner has won seven out of seven games, and also against football powers such as Italy, Germany, France and England”).
Morata and the Spain players meeting the king of Spain (Borja B. Hojas/Getty Images)
The most commented on image was Dani Carvajal’s salute. The defender did not look the president in the face. Many on social media suggested it was due to political differences.
Later, during the celebrations in Cibeles, Morata and Rodrigo Hernandez were also heard shouting the chant “Gibraltar es Español! (Gibraltar is Spain).”
But the political issues were ultimately no more than an anecdote. With the formalities done, the team set off to the centre of Madrid.
Flocks of people chased them chanting through the streets of Genova, Paseo del Prado and Serrano. Meanwhile, the Plaza de Cibeles continued to fill up.
The footballers’ relatives and staff from the Spanish FA (RFEF) were located just in front of the stage. They had more freedom to move around and brought water bottles to the fans who were still stuck behind fencing and the crowd in the square.
One of these family members was Miquel, the father of Dani Olmo, who spoke to The Athletic: “There’s a photo of my two sons (Miquel and Dani) when they were about four and two years old wearing the Spanish National Team kit. Now I have seen them in a totally different scenario, in the Berlin Olympic Stadium, with the European Cup, but dressed the same. At that moment, the only thing I thought was that they are children’s dreams, they are football dreams that come true.
“I don’t think any parent believes their child is going to reach a level. You have to have fun and compete and from that point on, the circumstances have made us all very happy.”
A few metres away were some of Yamal’s friends and family, such as his cousin Mohamed. He took photos with people and gave an interview to the Spanish channel TVE.
In an informal conversation with The Athletic, one of Yamal’s camp members who prefers not to be named to protect relationships insisted that despite his age and despite what might appear on the outside, Yamal was the player who had experienced the triumph most calmly: “Lamine has won the European Championship and acts like it’s nothing”.
A few steps further on was Marc Cucurella’s agent, Alex Dominguez, who was happy about his great tournament and explained to The Athletic: “This is football. We know that from one day to the next football can change, for better or for worse, and you have to stay consistent and not stop working. In the end, Marc has been like that for the last two years.
Cucurella enjoying the celebrations in Madrid (Gonzalo Arroyo Moreno/Getty Images)
“He has been in a team (Chelsea) with some instability but the work done always pays off. Marc signed a six-year contract, he is at ease and comfortable there, the family too, Marc signed for one of the best teams in Europe and so we are calm in that sense”.
By 10pm, the intense sun had disappeared and it was time to welcome the players on stage.
From the start, Morata took the floor and won over the fans with his spontaneity, reminiscent of the show put on more than a decade ago by former Liverpool goalkeeper Pepe Reina at the national team’s previous triumphs.
Each player was welcomed with a song. Morata dedicated a few words to each of them.
On Dani Carvajal, he said: “With the number 2, the boar of Spain! The pitbull! Where is Musiala? The best right-back in the world? Danieeeeel Carvajal.
On Fabian Ruiz, he said: “With number 8, he’s longer than a day without bread, but what quality the boy has! Have you seen the video of how he sent the Germans for cigarettes? In training he’s a lamp post, he doesn’t move, then he flies in the games and has been fundamental… he’s Fabiaaan Ruiz!”
On Dani Olmo, Morata said: “Before the Euros, I said he was a crack (really good player), didn’t I? Well, this guy has not only been the top scorer but he has saved a f****** goal, which he had never done before. But beware, if he was worth €100million before, now he’s worth €130m. With the number 11, he is Dani Olmo!”
The players throwing De la Fuente in the air (Oscar Del Pozo/AFP via Getty Images)
On Rodri, he said: “Rodri is on fire, your defence is terrified! How’s your hamstring bro? You are the MVP! Rodri Ballon D’Or! Rodri Ballon D’Or! We have to open an Instagram account for him to see if he wins an individual title because he deserves it. With the number 16, he is Rodri!”
On Cucurella: “English kids have nightmares about him. Let your hair down! With number 22, he is Marc Cucurella!”
Then Cucurella showed off his dyed red hair and sang the Chelsea fans’ song that has become popular in Spain too: “Cucurella, he eats a paella/Cucurella, he drinks a Estrella/Cucurella, may Haaland tremble… .”
Throughout the show, Maria, a young 10-year-old fan who suffers from Ewing’s sarcoma, joined the players on stage. Maria also lifted the cup. She was the most special guest at an event that also featured Spanish artists Aitana, Almacor and Isabel Aaiun and influencer Ibai Llanos. They put the finishing touch to a party that will be remembered for a long time in Spain.
Everyone was once again united for the national team.
(Top photo: Getty Images)
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