Their team's thrilling capture of the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague trophy with a game-winning shot in the waning seconds of the Final Four in Kaunas, Lithuania, over the weekend inspired an outpouring of Real Madrid fans into the streets of the Spanish capital on Tuesday evening.
They were there to celebrate as the players paraded the EuroLeague champions trophy from the city hall to the regional government headquarters and everywhere in between.
"It's very exciting for all of us to share with all the people of Madrid, including all our club's supporters, this new accomplishment that will stay forever in the memories and hearts of all basketball fans," club president Florentino Perez said.
Looking sharp in their suits and ties for the occasion, the Real Madrid stars mixed with the fans at each stop along the way, signing autographs and taking pictures and letting them touch the trophy, symbol of the club's 11th continental club title and third in the last eight editions.
"We are very happy to be here again to present you with this EuroLeague title, which has come with a huge effort," team captain Sergio Llull said. "It has been a very difficult season for various reasons. We had a playoff series that was a very steep uphill climb. In fact, no team had previously recovered from 0-2 deficit, and it couldn't be other than Real Madrid to do it. Later, in the Final Four, every last player has been incredible. We made one more demonstration of what it means to wear this jersey."
Walter Tavares, who also took home the Final Four MVP trophy, thanked the crowd for their support from afar.
"We felt the energy that all of you transmitted from Madrid," Tavares said. "We were there [in Kaunas], but we always felt you close to us at every moment. The [game-winning shot by Sergio Llull] signified the positive energy that you were sending, and it went in clean, so thank you to everyone."
