More than one million people took to the streets of Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire biggest city, on Monday to celebrate their African champions.
The Elephants defeated Ghana in the final of the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations in Bata on Sunday night following a dramatic penalty shootout.
The victory put an end to a 23-year continental drought for the Ivoirians, whose first African crown was conquered in Senegal in 1992, already at the expense of the Black Stars.
Côte d’Ivoire president Alassane Ouattara immediately announced a paid public holiday on Monday, so the fans could welcome back their heroes.
Yaya Touré and his teammates landed at Abidjan international airport in the mid-afternoon, before heading to a Félix Houphouët-Boigny Stadium packed to the brim for several hours in the company of the country’s president.
It took the Elephants a couple of hours to make their way to the stadium with hundreds of thousands of fans packed along the road, before appearing with the precious trophy in front of a hysterical crowd at the ‘Félicia’.