Spain's football team is heading to Madrid after an historic European Championship win. The players will get a hero's welcome with the king, the prime minister and jubilant Spaniards enjoying a burst of joy amid the nation's deep economic problems.
The team boarded a plane in Kiev, Ukraine without speaking to reporters Monday after beating Italy 4-0 Sunday night. It became the first to win a European Championship, then a World Cup followed by another European Championship.
Spaniards hung the country's red and yellow flag from balconies, motorists pinned it to car antennas and Madrid prepared for a huge street party bash with the team due to ride in an open air bus through the capital.
The country is in its second recession in three years with unemployment at nearly 25 percent.
