Thousands greet champions Germany in Berlin
Captain Philipp Lahm led his champions from the aircraft shortly after 10am local time, followed by Bastian Schweinsteiger who was draped in a German flag. The team were greeted by excited fans trying to get a glimpse of the Trophy as the players made their way through the airport.
Arsenal midfielder Mesut Ozil was delighted to touch down on home turf, saying on his Twitter account: "Back in the country of the world champions :-) #DFBTeam #happy." Thousands of supporters lined the Fan Mile in the centre of Berlin as the team and coach Joachim Low took to an open-top truck to parade the FIFA World Cup Trophy and show off their medals on their homecoming.
The president of the German Football Association (DFB) Wolfgang Niersbach was excited about the reception for the squad. Speaking to ARD, Niersbach said: "This is a dream. Seeing this enthusiasm. I do not know what in our country more can trigger this sense of belonging as this World Cup. Our players are looking forward incredibly to enjoy this moment."
Germany coach Low held the trophy aloft to the sound of cheers and applause as the truck slowly made its way through the thick crowds with hundreds of fans following behind as they hailed their heroes. The team were euphoric as they were welcomed by the Berlin crowds and Ozil tweeted again and posted some photographs as the bus moved by the River Spree. "What a crowd! unbelievable! #GER #Berlin #Fanmeile," Ozil said on Twitter.
The sea of fans were chanting for their heroes, "Deutschland, Deutschland, Deutschland!" as the truck continued through the city streets with no sign of the road or pavements, just people celebrating as they made their way to the Brandenburg Gate. Andre Schurrle, who delivered the cross which led to Mario Gotze's game-winning goal in the Final, told Sport Bild: "It's beautiful. It feels very good, it's all gone perfectly for us."
