But they responded like the newly-inaugurated diplomats for the Irish nation that they had become in South Korea and Japan during their exciting-but-traumatic passage through the first two World Cup rounds.
They acknowledged the hero worship with dignity, kind words for the fans' devotion and enough humility to endear them to the families who had trekked across the biggest public park in Europe to wait to catch a glimpse of the new national icons.
If the start of their World Cup campaign had been sullied by the Roy Keane affair and the vitriol and venom that went with it, the end was in danger of being coloured by the very public row about whether or not the team should have been allowed to parade through the streets of the capital in an open-topped bus.
The security and health and safety authorities said "No".
But the government reluctantly agreed, and the Phoenix Park concert-cum-welcome-home-reception became nobody's favourite substitute.
But crowds of cheering Irish people - mainly youngsters, families and fanatics - stood wearing green replica shirts, waving their flags and banners as if the footballers had won the World Cup.