The team arrived in Buenos Aires on a plane painted with images of the players and a large sign reading: "Thank you Argentina."
A river of emotional fans wearing the white and sky-blue striped jerseys of the national team, among them a group of Argentine gauchos on horses, flooded the road leading from the airport to the football association complex.
"You showed that through courage, passion and bringing everything you have and more to the field you can triumph," President Cristina Fernandez said after greeting all members of the team at the complex with a hug and a pat on the back.
The two-time world champion entered the title match as the clear underdog after Germany's 7-1 thrashing of host Brazil. But despite complaints about lackluster play earlier in the tournament, the team led by captain Lionel Messi showed grit throughout the 1-0 overtime loss to Germany, creating several opportunities to score in the first 90 minutes.
"I'm thankful to everyone. I would have liked to bring you back the Cup and to be able to enjoy it. We tried, we gave it our all but we couldn't achieve it," said Messi, who won the trophy for the tournament's best player.
"Despite that, I think we gave a great joy to the country by reaching this final and facing our rivals without giving anything away."
Argentina last played in a World Cup final in 1990, when it lost to West Germany. Four years earlier, it became world champion for the second time, led by captain Diego Maradona, also in a final against the Germans.
By Ruchi Singh
reporter
Park Sae-jin
swatchsjp@ajunews.com
