Celebrations as Spanish team arrives home after Euro 2008 victory

(30 Jun 2008) SHOTLIST Barajas International Airport, near Madrid 1. Various of plane carrying Spanish team coming in to land at airport 2. Airport workers celebrating, waving flags 3. Plane taxiing on landing, has the word "Campeones" (champions) painted on its body and Spanish flag flying from cockpit window 4. Mid of plane taxiing, Spanish flag sticking out the window 5. Close up of nose of plane, flag out of window 6. Wide of plane taxiing 7. Airport workers celebrating 8. Spanish coach Luis Aragones (left) and defender Iker Casillas stepping out of door of plane, raising cup, zoom in on Aragones raising cup, handing it to Casillas 10. Wide of Spanish team coming down steps of plane 11. Mid of Casillas holding cup, walking 12. Wide of team walking off plane 13. Mid of Aragones walking 14. Various of team celebrating 15. Team walking towards bus 16. Team on bus 17. Players celebrating 18. Sergio Ramos holding cup up 19. Team bus leaving Plaza de Colon (Columbus Square), central Madrid 20. Zoom out of square where fans are gathered waiting for team 21. Pan up of crowd 22. Various of entertainers on stage 23. Pan of crowd 24. Various of entertainers on stage 25. Mid of crowd 26. Crowds lining the streets waiting for team bus 27. Various aerials of team bus heading into central Madrid 28. Mid of crowd celebrating STORYLINE: Spain's victorious football team returned home on Monday to a country in the throes of wild celebrations after winning its first major football title in 44 years. Its freshly painted bodywork bearing the word "Campeones" (champions in Spanish), the team plane touched down at Madrid's Barajas International Airport, to a wild welcome from ground staff gathered on the tarmac. Captain Iker Casillas and coach Luis Aragones were the first off the plane, and they held aloft the silver Euro 2008 cup, which they won by beating Germany in the final on Sunday. On arrival, the team boarded an open-top bus to take them into central Madrid where thousands of fans were awaiting them in the Plaza de Colon (Columbus Square). At least 65,000 fans were expected to turn up at the square to greet the team, and thousands of others lined the route to catch a glimpse of the team bus. The 1-0 victory over Germany in the European Championship final in Austria was hailed by the prime minister on Monday as not just a breakthrough for football but for the nation as well. Spain's previous European title came in 1964 when the country was a fascist dictatorship under General Francisco Franco. With Spain having shed its tag as a perennial football underachiever, there was an outpouring of exultation across the country. The team went unbeaten with a string of beguiling attacking displays orchestrated by a vibrant midfield. Spain defeated Sweden, defending champion Greece, World Cup champion Italy and Russia twice en route to the title. Spain's young team entered Euro 2008 as a favourite despite a poor showing the 2006 World Cup with a second-round defeat by France. Before Sunday's victory, Spain hadn't passed the quarterfinals of a major tournament since losing the 1984 European Championship final to France. For a nation that has produced two of the world's greatest teams (Real Madrid and FC Barcelona), Spain had somehow always been found wanting at crunch time, despite triumphs at the junior levels of European and World Cup competitions. Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter:   / ap_archive   Facebook:   / aparchives   ​​ Instagram:   / apnews   You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...