Real celebrates 33rd league title amid fan frenzy
Print Edition
REAL Madrid’s title celebrations show no sign of abating.
The Spanish champions celebrated through the night after winning their 33rd league title on Sunday, and continued the festivities yesterday by meeting with local officials and fans at some of the city’s iconic sites.
The players arrived in Madrid at about 2:30am and went to meet the estimated 50,000 fans who had been waiting since the end of team’s match in the southern coastal city of Malaga. Real won 2-0 to finish three points ahead of Barcelona.
Players went to the club’s traditional celebration spot, the Plaza de Cibeles, on top of an open bus which carried the No. 33 and the words “champions” and “thank you madridistas,” which is what the team’s fans are called.
Fans chanted the club’s songs and anthem, and provoked rivals Atletico Madrid and Barcelona. Defender Gerard Pique, the outspoken defender for the Catalan team, was their main target throughout the night. Even some of the players took shots at Pique, who recently accused Real of benefiting from referee decisions.
Team captain Sergio Ramos took the walkway set up over the plaza’s fountain and draped the statue of the goddess Cibele with a Spain flag that carried Real’s name on it. Veteran defender Marcelo then put a team scarf around the goddess’ head to a huge ovation from the crowd as confetti blasted into the air behind the players. The song “We Are The Champions” was played the whole time.
Ramos, who last year also draped the Cibele goddess with a flag after Real won the UEFA Champions League title, recorded the moment on his cell phone and shared it with the fans.
Players also talked to the crowd, with Cristiano Ronaldo, who scored one of the goals against Malaga, singing one of the traditional songs fans chant during Real matches.
Many of the team’s supporters stayed at the plaza long after the squad had left.
“We haven’t slept a lot,” Real coach Zinedine Zidane said yesterday before the squad met with the capital’s mayor and the regional president, giving them shirts autographed by all the players.
The team ended the official celebrations by addressing thousands of fans at the Puerta del Sol square, one of the city’s main locations. Players came out on a terrace to salute the crowd. “Thank you for being here with us,” Ronaldo said. “This trophy is yours, for all the support that you have shown us. Now we go for the Champions League title and we will need you again.”
Real will be trying to win its third UCL title in four seasons in a final against Juventus in Cardiff on June 3. It hadn’t won the league since 2012, and the last time it went five straight seasons without lifting the trophy had been from 1981-85.
- About Us
- |
- Terms of Use
- |
-
RSS - |
- Privacy Policy
- |
- Contact Us
- |
- Shanghai Call Center: 962288
- |
- Tip-off hotline: 52920043
- 沪ICP证：沪ICP备05050403号-1
- |
- 互联网新闻信息服务许可证：31120180004
- |
- 网络视听许可证：0909346
- |
- 广播电视节目制作许可证：沪字第354号
- |
- 增值电信业务经营许可证：沪B2-20120012
Copyright © 1999- Shanghai Daily. All rights reserved.Preferably viewed with Internet Explorer 8 or newer browsers.
