Real Madrid celebrated their Champions League win on Sunday, taking to streets of the Spanish capital in an open top bus parade before partying with fans at the Bernabéu.
Madrid beat Borussia Dortmund 2-0 in the final at Wembley Stadium on Saturday — Dani Carvajal and Vinícius Júnior scoring in the second half — to lift their 15th European Cup, and their sixth Champions League in the last decade.
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The trophy completed a Champions League and LaLiga double for Madrid after they won the domestic title last month, their second double in three seasons under coach Carlo Ancelotti. It was also the last match for Madrid legend Toni Kroos, who is retiring after this summer’s Euro in Germany.
“Three weeks ago [when Madrid celebrated winning LaLiga] I promised you that we’d be back here, and today we’re celebrating the 15th [European Cup],” Kroos said, speaking to the crowd at Puerta del Sol. “Thank you so much for ten unforgettable years. I have no more words.”
The Madrid squad left the Bernabéu by bus at around 5:45 p.m. local time, and made their first stop at the city’s cathedral, before moving onto Madrid’s regional government headquarters in Puerta del Sol, in the heart of the city, and the nearby town hall.
The team joined a crowd of thousands at Cibeles, the fountain where Madrid players and supporters celebrate trophy wins, before returning to the Bernabéu, now packed with fans, just before 10:40 p.m. local time.
There, the players were introduced one-by-one 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 player of the match at Wembley.
Madrid’s final win crowned 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 to rivals Atlético Madrid: once in the league, and once in the Copa del Rey.
Vinícius was the top scorer for Madrid in the Champions League with six goals, with forwards Joselu — who found the net twice in the semifinal against Bayern Munich to book Madrid’s place at Wembley — and Rodrygo Goes close behind, with five goals each.
“We’re very happy to be here again,” Vinicius said. “It’s important to be here with you [the fans]. We’ve learnt a lot from Kroos, Nacho [Fernandez], Dani [Carvajal] and Luka [Modric]. The youngsters here want to win a lot more.”
Modric, whose contract expired at the end of the season, appeared to confirm he’d be back with Madrid again for the 2024-25 season.
“Thank you for your support all 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.
