EVIAN-LES-BAINS, France — With the World Cup in full swing, Germany Chancellor Friedrich Merz was ready with a belated birthday gift for President Trump Tuesday.

Merz, 70, presented Trump, 80, with a personalized “Trump 47” jersey of the German national soccer team at the top of a working session of world leaders related to Russia’s war on Ukraine.

“Happy belated 80th birthday, @POTUS,” Merz wrote on X alongside photos of the handover. “After all, we’re on the same team.”

The American president politely accepted the shirt, briefly holding it up for photographers before folding it up and placing it on the table beside him.

Merz has a track record of gifts tailored to win Trump’s approval.

Last year, the chancellor presented the president with a golf club and a gold-framed copy of the birth certificate of Trump’s paternal grandfather, who grew up in western Germany before emigrating to the US.

The US is co-hosting the quadrennial soccer tournament with Mexico and Canada, whose prime minister, Mark Carney, was also present at the meeting.

Both the US and German national teams got off to winning starts last week, with the Americans defeating Paraguay, 4-1, on Friday, while Die Mannschaft thumped Curacao, 7-1, on Sunday.