Spain's national basketball team's Rudy Fernandez (C) holds up the trophy during a celebration in Madrid, Spain, Sept. 16, 2019. Spain defeated Argentina on Sunday to claim the 2019 FIBA World Cup title. (Xinhua/Guo Qiuda)
The Spanish National Basketball team and their fans celebrated their World Championship win.
MADRID, Sept. 16 (Xinhua) -- The Spanish National Basketball team celebrated their World Championship win on Sunday in China with hundreds of thousands of fans in the center of Madrid on Monday night.
Spain's second World Championship after the 2006 triumph in Japan came after beating Argentina 95-75 on Sunday.
The plane carrying the team arrived at Madrid airport at 4pm local time and the team travelled directly to the Palacio de la Moncloa where they were welcomed by Spanish acting Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, who congratulated coach Sergio Scariolo and the players on their achievements saying they had taken the Spanish flag "to its highest point."
Team Spain celebrate during the awarding ceremony after the final match between Spain and Argentina at the 2019 FIBA Basketball World Cup in Beijing, capital of China, Sept. 15, 2019. (Xinhua/Meng Yongmin)
The next stop on the trip was the Palacio de la Zarzuela, where they were greeted by King Felipe VI before making the trip to the central Plaza de Colon.
The streets were packed with fans cheering their heroes, who travelled in an open topped bus and shared in the celebration.
The Plaza de Colon was then the scene of a huge celebration with the triumphant Spaniards presenting the trophy to their supporters, before the event ended with an impressive fireworks display. ■