Thousands at Mestalla and the streets of Valencia for Copa del Rey celebrations

The streets of Valencia were the scene of extensive celebration on Sunday afternoon, with fans out in force to mark Valencia CF's Copa del Rey win and pay tribute to the players. Starting at Manises airport and ending at Mestalla, a tour of the city allowed supporters to see the heroes of the Benito Villamarín in the flesh and express their joy about a memorable victory.

With the motto ‘Un sentiment etern’ -and the names of all of the players, coaches and members of staff who helped them to achieve Copa del Rey glory- emblazoned on special T-shirts, the squad were taken from the airport to the city centre via an open-top bus.

The streets were packed with fans of all ages, some celebrating a first trophy of their lifetime and others merely the latest honour, but all delighted with the end to the Centenary year.

The bus tour took in some of Valencia's most emblematic locations on its 12km route, going through Calle Guillén de Castro and past Las Torres de Quart y Serranos, Los Puentes de la Exposición, and down Avenida de Suecia.

More than two hours after their departure from Manises airport, the bus finally reached Mestalla at 7:10pm. There, the doors were opened for the celebration to continue, as a reward for the unity that helped produce such a tremendous season in 2018/19. The players and staff headed to the centre of the pitch, where a stage had been erected, and the likes of captains Parejo, Gayà, Kondogbia, Rodrigo and Jaume all proudly raised the cup.

Parejo was brought to tears during one long ovation, before asking the fans to sing the regional anthem. After that, the squad took a lap of honour, Paulista and Parejo mimed throwing the trophy into the crowd, and the noise levels rose and rose.

The celebrations -and two amazing weeks full of success- came to an end at 8pm. A Centenary season that will live long in the memory was brought to a close at Mestalla, the best possible location.