Real Madrid fans are getting used to Champions League title parades but the novelty will never rub off as they turned out in their numbers on Sunday to welcome their hero players back from Kiev.
The Spanish giants beat Liverpool 3-1 on Saturday night thanks to a freak Karim Benzema goal and a double from substitute Gareth Bale – including a fantastic bicycle kick – at the Olimpiyskiy Stadium.
Despite being pegged back at 1-1 through a Sadio Mane tap-in, Madrid showed off their incredible winning mentality to claim their third straight Champions League triumph. But Bale, who starred, was something of a misfit on Sunday. The Welsh star, who hinted at an exit in the summer post-match, was at the back of the bus and away from Real’s other key players.
Real Madrid captain Sergio Ramos holds up the Champions League trophy with Marcelo at their title parade on Sunday
The defensive duo hold aloft the trophy for their delighted Madrid supporters to see in Puerta del Sol on Sunday
Marcelo and Ramos pose for a photo in front of the thousands of Madrid fans, who gave their players a hero’s welcome
The 32-year-old captain Ramos labelled the current team as ‘out of this world’ after they claimed yet more silverware
Cristiano Ronaldo, donning a fresh haircut following Saturday’s victory, thanked the Madrid fans for their support
Zinedine Zidane waves to the ecstatic crowd after leading Madrid to glory following an underwhelming domestic campaign
Keylor Navas takes a picture of the huge crowd while Isco gets ready to take a photo as well on Sunday
The victorious Spanish giants line up for a photo with the Champions League trophy at their parade on the weekend
Gareth Bale takes in his surroundings after winning the Champions League for Madrid, scoring twice in 3-1 win vs Liverpool
And on Sunday, ecstatic Madrid supporters turned up in their thousands to give their stars a hero’s welcome as they proudly paraded their 13th European Cup around the buzzing Spanish capital.
The likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Casemiro, Marcelo and slightly subdued match-winner Bale were pictured arriving for the celebrations in sunny Madrid, with the former seen high-fiving the fans before the parade got underway.
The festivities began with players and team members participating in a ceremony at a local cathedral. Then they met with the city mayor and community president before addressing fans from a terrace at the Puerta del Sol square, one of Madrid’s main locations.
Two Madrid fans, who gathered at Puerta del Sol square in anticipation of seeing their heroes, went as far as bringing balloons which read ’13’ to show off the amount of European Cups their side have won throughout their history.
After showcasing their latest piece of silverware from the balcony, the squad embarked on an open-top bus parade
Gareth Bale (far left) was at the back of the bus as it went on parade, away from the rest of the core players in the squad
Media and fans alike await the bus, which was driven around the heart of the Spanish capital on the weekend
White confetti is blasted out around the team bus as it makes its way past the huge crowd of supporters
The Champions League trophy is displayed at the front, while ‘Campeones’ is written on the outside of the bus
Bale (left) was keeping quiet at the back of the bus while the Champions League trophy was at the front
Both players and fans take pictures of each other during the open-top bus parade on Sunday evening
Ramos again addresses the crowd while his team-mates celebrate around him with their Madrid scarves
Huge swathes of Madrid supporters celebrate with the formidable Madrid squad as the bus goes round
Bale receives a warm reception from the Madrid fans as the players finally made their way to the Bernabeu
The Welshman holds the Champions League trophy aloft as Ronaldo and Co watch on on Sunday evening
Ronaldo, who struggled to make a huge impact against Liverpool, dons a Portuguese flag on arrival at the Bernabeu
Zidane is thrown up into the air by his triumphant Madrid players as they continued their celebrations late into the evening
Fireworks are spectacularly set off on the roof of the Bernabeu at the end of the long parade on the weekend
Madrid captain Ramos, who led by example yet again at the back, was seen proudly holding aloft the cup with Marcelo from the balcony in front of the supporters.
And Ramos had a few special words to give to the club’s fans, insisting the current team ‘are out of this world’.
As the players showed off their silverware, club president Florentino Perez also addressed the crowd, claiming their latest triumph is ‘something unique and unforgettable’.
Perez said: ‘We continue to make history, I want to express my best wishes to Liverpool. This is something unique and unforgettable, it is something incredible in modern football.
‘Real Madrid are the leaders of world football, these players have forged a path with the spirit that they can overcome. Thank you to (Zinedine) Zidane who is the only coach to win three consecutive Champions Leagues.’
Ronaldo, Marcelo and Casemiro pose for a selfie as they enjoy their Champions League title parade on Sunday
Ronaldo high fives the delighted Real Madrid supporters at the parade in the Spanish capital after their win over Liverpool
The Portuguese star and his Madrid team-mates have become accustomed to these European Cup parades
Ronaldo, who dropped a big hint that he could be off in the summer, patiently waits before the procession gets underway
Madrid supporters proudly hold up balloons which read ’13’ – the amount of times they have won the European Cup
Madrid fans turned up in their numbers as they celebrated their record-breaking Champions League triumph
The Champions League trophy is proudly displayed at the front of a moving bus on Sunday evening in Madrid
After showcasing their latest piece of silverware from the balcony, the Madrid squad then embarked on an open-top bus parade around the capital, with the Champions League trophy displayed at the front.
While both players and fans took in their overwhelming surroundings, white confetti was blasted all over the bus to make the occasion more colourful than it already was.
The celebrations ended at a packed Santiago Bernabeu Stadium, where players and fans shouted for Cristiano Ronaldo to stay at the club.
‘This (support) is very important for me,’ said Ronaldo, who after the final in Ukraine hinted he could be leaving Madrid. ‘I’m proud to play in the greatest club in the world.’
Ronaldo avoided making any specific comments about his future, although earlier in the day he had left a celebration by telling fans ‘until next year.’
Following a tough domestic season, which saw them get off to a very sluggish start, Madrid ended the campaign in perfect fashion and have made the most of their latest triumph before heading their separate ways ahead of the World Cup in Russia.
Thousands of Madrid supporters gather at Puerta del Sol square in the heart of the capital as they wait for the players
A young Madrid supporter holds aloft a home shirt while others wave their flags in the air on Sunday evening
Police keep a close eye on proceedings as the supporters patiently wait for their heroes to pass through