Portugal Parade 2016: Twitter Reaction, Photos, Videos, GIFs and More

The Portuguese national team returned home on Monday with the UEFA European Championship trophy and were greeted by thousands of adoring fans in Lisbon.

Eder’s stunning strike in extra time handed the Selecao a 1-0 win and their maiden major title, with the team overcoming an early injury to captain Cristiano Ronaldo to break the hearts of host nation France.

Needless to say, the day after a historic night for Portugal, there were plenty of celebrations in the country’s capital city.

As we can see courtesy of BBC Sport, the players arrived back on home soil bathed in the colours of the national flag:

Per Peter Abbott of the British Embassy, the team’s transport was accompanied by the nation’s air force, too:

When they eventually emerged from the plane, the players were ushered onto a bus with the trophy and embarked on their victory parade of the capital city.

The bus included all the heroes from the tournament, with Ronaldo waving the country’s red-and-green flag, as well as defensive colossus Pepe and head coach Fernando Santos, who masterminded the team’s brilliant win.

PATRICIA DE MELO MOREIRA/Getty Images

The Portista Twitter feed posted the following clip of the bus making its way toward the city centre flanked by adoring supporters:

Although the players were keen to celebrate with the fans, there was some official business to attend to first, as they headed off to meet the country’s president, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa.

In recognition of their achievement, the squad and staff members all picked up special commendations.

“I have to praise everyone,” said De Sousa to Portuguese broadcaster RTP, via Reuters (h/t the Guardian) after the team's triumph. “I will commemorate them with the Order of Merit of Commanders—that is a decree that has never been given to the national team.”

Here is a look at the squad receiving paper copies of those accolades:

Meanwhile, Ronaldo posted the following clip on his Instagram page, as the players looked down at the mass of supporters gathered outside the Palacio de Belem:

He also took to Twitter to share this clip taken during the parade:

While Portugal received plenty of criticism during the Euros for the style of play they utilised, scenes like the ones shown are what football is all about. While much was made of the fact they only won one game in 90 minutes at the competition, they were also unbeaten at the finals; evidently, that's crucial in tournament football.

And regardless of how they played, these players and their accompanying staff have forever etched themselves into the history of the country. They are the first football team to win a major tournament for Portugal, and it’s no surprise the nation has decided to celebrate alongside them.