Image 1 of 3

Spain's State Secretary for Sport, Jaime Lissavetzky, has dubbed Tour de France champion Alberto Contador as a "legend of Spanish sport" following his countryman's third ༒Tour triumph in four years.

The Astana captain, who also took out the 2007 and 2009 editions of the race, celebrated his third Tour de France crownꦐ in Paris on Sunday afternoon after one of the closest battles in the histoꦜry of the race, with a winning margin of just 39 seconds that drew immense praise from Lissavetzky.

"Three Tours de France will become a legend of Spanish sport. The credit goes to Alberto, who managed to overcome the hard times - he had some problems during the past year and was able to overcome them," Lissavetzky told Europa Press.

"This year h♍e struggled gre❀atly to win the Tour. We must also congratulate Andy Schleck who rode a great race," he added.

And during a month tha൩t also saw Spain overcome the Netherlands in the final of football's showpiece event, the FIFA World Cup, the first time it has achieved that honour, Lissavetzky is living a drea𓂃m as the nation's chief of sport.

"We have achieved the perfect square. It was unimaginable to live a month of July as we have 🐽lived, the credit goes to them, we are living a spec🦂ial moment," said Lissavetzky of Spain's distinguished athletes. "It's spectacular to think about what we have achieved, we have good athletes in all disciplines."

Contador will be recei🔯ved by Spanish Prime Minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero this evening at the Palacio de la Mon🥂cloa after the nation's leader had called the rider in Paris to convey his congratulations.