National
Casillas kisses the Queen and hugs the King
By h.b. - Jun 30, 2008 - 6:51 AM
email this article
|
Protocol went out of the window after the game when the Spanish goalkeeper and captain, Iker Casillas, kissed the Queen and hugged King Juan Carlos, after lifting the cup for Spain.
The Monarch said ‘We have suffered, but the final was worth it’ and that he had been waiting for such happiness for some time. All had worked out well and it had been very exciting.
Sergio Ramos accepted his medal wearing a shirt in memory of the Sevilla footballer who died last year, Antonio Puerta.
Spanish Prime Minister, José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, who also saw the match in Vienna, said the win was only the start and the best was still to come from the side.
That side will have a new manager though, with the departure of Luis Aragonés confirmed. The man, who is almost 70, has won 38 of the 54 games he has supervised since July 2004.
Madrid will welcome home the victorious Spanish football side later today at the start of what will be several days more of celebrations.
The players’ plane arrives back at Barajas Airport in the capital at 7,30pm and then an open top bus will take them to the city centre. They will appear in the Plaza de Colón at 8,55pm.
The Plaza has already been the centre of the Euro 2008 championships with a large screen broadcasting all the games.
During the final last night one person was seriously injured with a head injury, and 120 more needed medical assistance during the game, with a total of 26 people being taken to Madrid hospitals, mostly for slight injuries.