Uruguay national team received a heros welcome as they returned home from South Africa. Hundreds of thousands of Uruguayans followed and cheered the team in a long motorcade as they paraded along the sea promenade of the capital city, Montevideo, on Tuesday.

The players waved to the crowd from the bus, holding flags, some of them filming on their own camcorders to cherish this moment forever.

On the sides of the bus, a large banner summed up the nation's feeling: "Orgullo celeste", Spanish for "Light blue pride", referring to the colour of Uruguay's shirt.

"Thank you, champions! You gave us our pride back!" read one of the hundreds of banners that flanked the squad's 30km-long parade. Because of the crowds, it took the bus over four hours to travel from the training compound to the Congress, where thousands were waiting.

The squad, managed by Oscar Tabarez, exceeded all expectations and clinched the country's best finish at a World Cup finals since 1970.