World Champs Lionel Messi and his World Cup-winning team mates land in Buenos Aires amid festivities

Buenos Aires: Argentina's football team returned home to a hero's welcome in Buenos Aires in the early hours before dawn on Tuesday after the plane carrying Lionel Messi and his World Cup-winning team mates touched down at Ezeiza airport.

The Argentine capital has been in party mode since the dramatic victory over France in Sunday's final in Qatar, which gave the country its first World Cup win since Diego Maradona hoisted the trophy 36 years ago.

The players, donning winners' medals around their necks, waved at fans from an open-top bus as they held aloft the FIFA World Cup trophy.

Messi was the first player from the plane carrying the World Cup, flanked by coach Lionel Scaloni, who put his arm around the captain as they walked past a sign that read, "Thank you, champions."

The players were welcomed by rock band La Mosca singing "Muchachos," a song that was written by a fan to the tune of an old song by the band and became a popular unofficial anthem for Argentine fans at the World Cup in Qatar.

The newly crowned champion of the world boarded an open-top bus, and several, including Messi, could be seen singing the words to "Muchachos", while they waited for everyone to get on heading to the headquarters of the Argentine Football Association.

The bus moved at a snail's pace as fans, many of whom were waving Argentine flags, swarmed the bus on a highway, eager for a glimpse of the players as law enforcement officers tried to keep them at bay. Agencies

Also Read: Wales captain Gareth Bale says he will be 'fully fit' for World Cup

Also Watch: