The World Cup has already entered the Palacio de la Zarzuela. Felipe VI, Queen Letizia, Princess Leonor and Infanta Sofía received the players of the Spanish national team this Monday just hours after the team returned from the United States with the second star in its history.
The champions arrived around six in the afternoon, still tired from the match, the celebration on the pitch and the flight from New Jersey. Dressed in dark suits and blue polo shirts, the members of the expedition walked through a corridor formed by workers of the Royal Household and members of the security forces, who received them with applause, flags and shouts of "¡Campeones!" and "¡Viva España!".
The first part of the meeting was held inside the Palace, where the King and Queen and their daughters greeted each of the footballers, coach Luis de la Fuente, the technical staff and the officials of the Royal Spanish Football Federation. Hugs and informal conversations accompanied a much more relaxed handshake than usual.
The reception continued in the Zarzuela gardens, where the official photograph with the Cup was taken. The Royal Family also received the new Spain jerseys with the two stars embroidered above the crest, the word "Campeones" and the number 26 on the back.
"You come tired, but what a rich tiredness"
Felipe VI began his speech with a reference to the long journey and the few hours of rest accumulated by the players. "You come tired, but what a rich tiredness. Congratulations truly, from the bottom of my heart," he told them before the gaze of the entire expedition.
The King defined the path to the final as "an odyssey" and an "epic triumph", marked by a longer competition, with 48 national teams and a knockout phase that forced Luis de la Fuente's team to overcome several highly demanding matches.
"You have suffered. You return somewhat bruised and tired. You have endured some criticism, now vanished. But what is all that compared to the joy of having brought the Cup home?", he affirmed.
Felipe VI highlighted the group's response in the most difficult moments of the tournament and its ability to maintain the style of play that has characterized this generation. He spoke of "grit, endurance and audacity", of dominance of the field and of a mixture of "head and heart" that allowed Spain to hold on until Ferran Torres' goal in extra time.
"You have been a team, united, supportive and generous. And you have also won with gallantry," added the monarch, who had followed the final from the box at MetLife Stadium alongside Queen Letizia, Princess Leonor and Infanta Sofía.
Two stars for "a legendary team"
The central moment of the speech came when Felipe VI looked at the two stars that Spain will now be able to display on its crest. "You now carry forever those two stars that shine so brightly for all of Spain, but you are all a stellar and legendary team for the history of Spanish sport," he proclaimed.
The King recalled that sixteen years have passed since Andrés Iniesta's goal in Johannesburg and the first World Cup won by the National Team. The victory over Argentina once again places Spain at the top of international football after a period in which this same group had already won the Nations League and the European Championship.
He also had a few words for the women's national team, world champions in 2023. Spain thus maintains both the men's and women's world titles, a coincidence that Felipe VI incorporated into his recognition of the two generations.
"When our national team plays, we all play. Now, when you have won, you have done it for all of Spain," he assured before thanking the players for the images, emotions and moments they have left during the championship.
The intervention ended with an invitation to enjoy the journey they still had ahead of them. "Keep every tear, every smile, every applause and every chant you are going to receive. You have earned it," he concluded to the applause of those present.
Leonor and Sofía meet the Cup again
The reception inevitably brought back images from July 2010. Leonor was then four years old and Sofía barely three when they received the first world champions at the Royal Palace alongside the then Kings Juan Carlos and Sofía and the Princes of Asturias.
Felipe VI recalled that scene during his speech with a comment directed at his daughters. "Some of you were babies," he pointed out as Leonor and Sofía looked up and smiled, feeling alluded to.
Sixteen years later, both have experienced the entire journey of the second star. They were in New Jersey, celebrated Ferran Torres' goal from the stands, then went down to the pitch and lifted the Cup with the players during the final ceremony.
At Zarzuela, they chose for the reception the white jersey of the second Spanish kit, combined with trousers of the same color. Queen Letizia wore red, while Felipe VI maintained the institutional tone with a dark suit and blue tie.
The handing over of the new jerseys left one of the images of the afternoon. The four members of the Royal Family posed with the garments that now incorporate the two stars, surrounded by the squad that has united the New Jersey title with the memory of South Africa.
A reception amidst chants and hugs
The protocol became less rigid as the event progressed. The shouts of "Champions, champions!" accompanied the official photograph, while players and members of the Royal Family continued talking in small groups in the gardens.
Felipe VI exchanged a few words with footballers such as Nico Williams, Gavi, Lamine Yamal, and Ferran Torres. With several of them, he had already shared hugs during the Spanish early morning, after going down to the pitch to personally congratulate the team.
The Royal Family had traveled to the United States to witness the final and remained with the players during the medal ceremony. The King participated in the ceremony, lifted the Cup, and celebrated the title on the same pitch where Spain had just defeated Argentina 1-0.
Monday's meeting offered a more relaxed image, although it retained much of that closeness. The King and Queen and their daughters remained conversing with the expedition after the speech, before bidding farewell to players who still had several hours of celebrations ahead of them.
The National Team left Zarzuela for the Palacio de La Moncloa, where the reception by the President of the Government, Pedro Sánchez, was scheduled. Afterwards, the open-top bus tour through the streets of Madrid would begin, with the Cup and the two stars heading to a Plaza de Cibeles full of fans.
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