Europa League winners Sevilla's homecoming
Thursday, May 28, 2015
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"The mayor should pencil our celebrations into the calendar," said Sevilla FC president José Castro as the club returned once again with the UEFA Europa League.
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"The mayor should pencil our celebrations into the calendar, because we seem to come here every year," said jubilant Sevilla FC president José Castro, clutching the UEFA Europa League trophy.
For the second year in a row, Unai Emery's side were greeted by the mayor of Seville Juan Ignacio Zoido, a Sevilla supporter, in the city hall, with the club's anthem blaring out from the speakers.
"It's not Internazionale Milano or Juventus, now it's Sevilla who have four trophies and we have them all right here," said Zoido to the players from the building's balcony, with a throng of supporters watching on from the Plaza Nueva.
"You are the best and I want you to represent all the magnificent players that Sevilla have had in their history. Every one of them gave everything they had inside, and you who have picked up where they left off and written the history of Sevilla FC in gold letters."
The team's plane touched down in the Andalusian city on Thursday evening after a night to remember in Warsaw, where Sevilla beat FC Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk 3-2 to become the first side to win the UEFA Cup/UEFA Europa League for a fourth time.
There was a photo on the runway with the trophy, which they retained after beating SL Benfica on penalties in Turin last year, then boarded a bus for an eventful parade. First stop was the Hospital San Juan de Dios, where they got off and displayed the trophy to children at the hospital.
Next they headed towards the Puerta Jérez square, where they were greeted by thousands, who watched them decorate the fountain in the club's colours and José Antonio Reyes wrap a Sevilla scarf around the statue of the goddess Hispalis. Then it was down the Avenida de Constitución and past the city's iconic cathedral, before entering city hall.
"Many thanks to all Sevilla fans for being with us," said Emery to supporters in the Plaza Nueva from the city hall balcony. "The players have sacrificed themselves throughout the year to achieve this. This is a day to enjoy, we are a great club, and we are very happy."
Then the club's celebrated sporting director Monchi – Ramón Rodríguez – provided the most emotional moment, chanting the name of the late Antonio Puerta, who lifted the UEFA Cup with Sevilla in 2006 and 2007 before tragically passing away.
Supporters and players chanted the late midfielder's name again and again, before the team reboarded the bus to get to their final stop: the Estadio Ramón Sánchez Pizjuán.
