Meanwhile, in The Sun, Fabregas gives his perspective as he looks back over a whirlwind 48 hours.

One day, I will look back on the last 48 hours of my life and pinch myself to make sure it wasn't all one big wonderful dream.

One minute I am holding the most beautiful trophy on this planet in the palm of my hands, like it's a baby. It's so precious and I want to keep it for ever but at the same time I desperately don't want to drop it!

And then, I'm walking off the plane back home in Spain and waving to the airport staff who are cheering and shouting wildly. That alone was enough to bring tears of joy to my eyes.

But imagine how I felt last night as we showed the World Cup to hundreds of thousands of our countrymen who packed the streets of Madrid to enjoy the greatest party our nation has ever seen. It's all a lot for a 23-year-old to take in and right now my head is spinning with the enormity of it.

Everywhere I looked last night there was a sea of people dressed in the colours of my country, draped in flags and scarves and singing their hearts out. For themselves, their families and loved ones and for us, the players.

As far as the eye could see, it was a human mass and what hit you was the wall of sound, the sweetest, loudest, most uplifting sound I've ever heard. Believe me, it sent shivers down my spine. I thought I had seen it all two years ago when millions came out to celebrate our triumph in Euro 2008.

But no, trust me, this was so much more. It is the most thrilling feeling, you are on top of the world and you forget your everyday problems and worries and stresses. That is why I am so happy, to know that for a while at least we put a smile on people's faces.

I wrote in The Sun on Saturday I desperately wanted to play in the final - even if it meant coming on as a substitute, which is what happened. But I didn't just want to come on for the final minutes. I desperately wanted to make a difference, to actually contribute towards something.

And that's what happened. I was in the right place at the right time to make the decisive pass to Andres Iniesta for our winning goal.

That makes me feel immensely proud. This Spanish side never stops trying to play the game the way it should be played.

We never stop trying to score, we never give up on the fundamental belief that the way to play football is to pass, pass, pass and to keep on passing, no matter what the situation, how tough the opponents are - or even what the score is.

That's the way we were still playing after 116 exhausting minutes against Holland on Sunday night. We didn't want a penalty shootout - we wanted to win the World Cup the way it should be won.

The Dutch were extremely physical and it felt like a battleground out there. Tackles were flying in left, right and centre - and you had to be extra quick on the ball or you would lose it in a flash. The most important thing, though, is we won the match and we are world champions.

The journey home straight after the game was very long but the enthusiasm, the emotion and the adrenalin rush carried us through. Most of the people on the plane like Xavi, Iniesta, Gerard Pique and Carles Puyol I have known since I was a little kid and we have come a long way together.

It hasn't really sunk in yet and probably won't for a long time. I just want to enjoy this moment. It is not every day you win a World Cup!