Real Madrid celebrated its Champions League victory on Sunday with a parade in open-top buses through the streets of the Spanish capital before celebrating with fans at the Bernabéu.
Madrid beat Borussia Dortmund 2-0 in the final at Wembley on Saturday – Dani Carvajal and Vinícius Júnior scored in the second half – to win their 15th European Cup and their sixth Champions League title in the last decade.
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The trophy meant Madrid had now completed the Champions League and LaLiga double after winning the domestic title last month, their second double in three seasons under coach Carlo Ancelotti. It was also the last game for Madrid legend Toni Kroos, who is retiring after this summer's European Championship in Germany.
“Three weeks ago [when Madrid celebrated winning LaLiga] I promised you that we would come back, and today we celebrate the 15th. [European Cup]Kroos said to the crowd at the Puerta del Sol. “Thank you for ten unforgettable years. I'm at a loss for words.”
The Madrid team left the Bernabéu by bus at around 5.45pm local time, making their first stop at the city's cathedral before continuing to the headquarters of the Madrid regional government at Puerta del Sol in the heart of the city and the nearby town hall.
The team joined a crowd of thousands at the Cibeles fountain, where Madrid's players and fans celebrate cup victories, before returning to the now-fan-packed Bernabéu shortly before 10:40 p.m. local time.
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There, players were introduced individually before addressing the crowd, including veteran midfielder Toni Kroos, who played his last game for the club before retiring this summer, and Carvajal, who was named Man of the Match at Wembley.
Madrid's victory in the final capped a near-perfect season for the club, in which they have won LaLiga, the Champions League and the Spanish Supercopa. They have lost just two games all season, both against rivals Atlético Madrid: once in La Liga and once in the Copa del Rey.
Vinícius was Madrid's top scorer in the Champions League with six goals, closely followed by strikers Joselu – who scored twice in the semi-final against Bayern Munich to secure Madrid's place at Wembley – and Rodrygo Goes with five goals each.
“We are very happy to be back here,” said Vinicius. “It is important to be here with you [the fans]. We learned a lot from Kroos, Nacho [Fernandez]Daniel [Carvajal] and Luke [Modric]. The young players here want to win much more.”
Modric, whose contract expired at the end of the season, seemed to confirm that he would return to Madrid for the 2024-25 season.
“Thank you for your support throughout the year. See you next season!” Modric told the crowd at the Bernabéu.
Midfielder Jude Bellingham, who described the final as “the best night of my life”, provided five assists in the continental competition, including one for Vinícius at Wembley.
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