PARIS — The welcome was grand, the emotion visceral as France’s victorious World Cup team rolled down Champs-Elysees Avenue in Paris in an open-top bus Monday while tens of thousands cheered with unrestrained pride and jets streamed the national colors – blue, white, red – overhead.

The crowd that waited for hours to greet the soccer team, under a hot sun and amid celebratory smoke bombs that choked the air, got its moment hours after the team returned from Russia to hoist the gold trophy on French soil for the first time in 20 years.

The national team’s 4-2 win over Croatia on Sunday gave France a new set of heroes, many of whom represent the changing face of a diverse, multicultural country with which not all French citizens have yet reckoned.

The red-carpet welcome for the World Cup winners continued at the Elysee Palace, where President Emmanuel Macron threw an informal garden party that had 1,000 children and 300 athletes from local soccer clubs as guests.

Many of the invited clubs are based in the poor neighborhoods that produced the players who made up France’s youthful, diverse World Cup team, including 19-year-old breakout star Kylian Mbappe. Members of the club he grew up with in suburban Bondy attended the party.

“Merci!” said Macron, the youngest person to become French president. “This team is beautiful because it was united.”

Advertisement

Addressing the team, Macron offered advice.

“Don’t change,” he said, adding, “Never forget where you come from.”

Team captain and goalie Hugo Lloris, brandishing the trophy, and Coach Didier Deschamps led the team onto the red carpet at the Elysee courtyard. With Republican Guards standing motionless in full dress uniforms, the squad broke into party mode for the official photos.

The fun continued with chants led by midfielder Paul Pogba and off-the-cuff songs.

The victory came at a time when many French were in need of good news, and the magic provided a sense that a grand coming together might at least paper over political, economic and social fissures for a while.

“Eternal Happiness” read Monday’s headline in the French sports daily L’Equipe, summing up the mood of many.

Advertisement

Before the reception, the Champs-Elysees became the epicenter of national pride for the third straight day, following the postgame celebrations that brought hundreds of thousands Sunday and a Bastille Day parade of French military might Saturday.

The team appeared elated during its victory lap on the bus. Players threw scarves into the crowd and recorded the action.

Several Paris Metro stations were temporarily adjusting their names to honor the team and its members, the transport authority tweeted. The Etoile station is, for now, “On a 2 Etoiles” (We have 2 stars), to denote France’s second World Cup victory.

The patriotic fervor didn’t prevent vandalism and violence that sometimes accompany public celebrations in France. Broken shop windows and signs of looting lined a section of the Champs-Elysees. Authorities detained 90 people for questioning in the Paris region and some 290 around France.


Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.

Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.