Celebrating in style! Real Madrid fans cram the city’s Cibeles Square as stars including Karim Benzema and Gareth Bale revel in their Champions League triumph and parade the LaLiga trophy hours after their win in Paris
Real Madrid’s victorious squad have been greeted by adoring fans while parading their Champions League and LaLiga trophies hours after beating Liverpool at the Stade de France to become European champions for a 14th time.
Revered manager Carlo Ancelotti, top scorer Karim Benzema and departing winger Gareth Bale were among the stars in suits and sunglasses taking part in the triumphant ceremony outside the Spanish capital’s City Hall.
The team then headed to iconic church the Catedral de la Almudena to carry on the celebrations while thousands of supporters hoped to catch a glimpse of them outside.
Real Madrid captain Marcelo (left) and Karim Benzema carried the Champions League trophy
The duo paraded their newest piece of silverware after returning from Saturday’s final in Paris
Coach Carlo Ancelotti (front, third from left) led the delegation at the Catedral de la Almudena
Winger Vinicius Junior, whose 59th-minute strike proved the only goal of the final, and former Ballon d’Or winner Luka Modric absorbed the adulation after a sensational campaign for the club.
Madrid strolled to the LaLiga title almost a month before the Champions League final, securing top spot with four games to spare as traditional rivals Barcelona finished 13 points behind Ancelotti’s side.
Los Blancos’ Champions League campaign at their Bernabeu home began with a shock defeat to tournament newcomers Sheriff Tiraspol.
Fans were eager to see their heroes following Madrid’s 1-0 win over Liverpool to win the final
Madrid left the church by bus with the trophy taking pride of place as thousands lined the road
Croatia ace Luka Modric (second from right) and Spain star Nacho (second from left) joined in
The Moldovan club caused a huge upset by winning 2-1 at Madrid but their opponents recovered to progress to the knockout stage, establishing themselves as the comeback kings of the competition.
Two Kylian Mbappe goals put Paris Saint-Germain 2-0 ahead against Madrid in the round of 16, only for an 18-minute Benzema hat-trick inside the final 30 minutes of the tie to send his team through.
Dramatic extra-time victories over Premier League giants Chelsea and Manchester City followed, although Madrid were underdogs entering the final against a Liverpool side who had won all of their Champions League games away from Anfield.
Ancelotti was in a suitably jovial mood as his side celebrated securing the double this season
Wales talisman Gareth Bale was part of the party ahead of his expected departure from Madrid
Champions League final goalscorer Vinicius Junior was the hero of the hour in Madrid’s victory
Liverpool had only lost twice all season before the final but Vinicius’s goal capped an assured display from Madrid as they extended their dominance in Europe’s most prestigious club competition.
Bale has now won the Champions League five times since joining Madrid from Tottenham in 2013.
The Wales talisman could return to the Premier League when he leaves the Bernabeu this summer, having been a peripheral figure for Madrid over the course of the campaign.
The scenes in Madrid took place at the same time as Liverpool toured their city on top of a bus
Rivals Barcelona were left trailing in Madrid’s wake as Ancelotti’s side swept to the LaLiga title
Madrid’s 14th European Cup and Champions League triumph was their fourth in seven seasons
The 32-year-old was an unused substitute in the final and will now focus on Wales’ bid to qualify for the FIFA Qatar World Cup which starts in November.
Wales beat Austria 2-1 to reach the European Qualifiers play-off final for the World Cup courtesy of two Bale goals in Cardiff.
That has given Bale an extra fixture to look forward to on June 5, when Wales will play Scotland or Ukraine in the final.
