French President Emmanuel Macron can thank his stars, once again, as the Blues win the World Cup

Paris:

It seems that Emmanuel Macron has again had luck.

The triumph of France 4-2 Croatia in Sunday's World Cup final, its second World Cup after its success in 1998 which marked the beginning of a wave of national optimism, is the kind of good news that most presidents can only dream of.

Macron's ratings dropped steadily, barely reaching 40%. Although he oversaw a series of economic and social reforms, the former 40-year-old investment banker was termed "president of the rich" by many left-wing critics, and the slogan stayed.

official dishes, a pool built during a presidential retreat, and remarks on welfare costs have reinforced the image of a leader out of touch with the people , at least in some minds.

But just as he took advantage of an extraordinary series of lucky breaks during the 2017 presidential campaign, when his strongest conservative rival had to pull out after a corruption scandal, Macron's fortunes are about to rise .

In Moscow to watch the final with his wife Brigitte, Macron was defeated by the win, standing on the field in the pouring rain to embrace each of the players in turn and then kiss the World Cup trophy in the joy.

In 1998, then populari of President Jacques Chirac According to Ifop polls, he climbed 18 points in his rating, helping the aging Gaullist to recover from a humiliating defeat at the time. a surprise election in 1997.

Chirac's bonhomie and enthusiastic embrace of the 1990s – playmaker The multiracial team of Zinedine Zidane, Black-White-Beur (Black-White-North African), l & # Helped to get rid of a series of corruption scandals and won a second term

Macron – which is still very much in charge and not reduced to a largely ceremonial role as Chirac was under the regime of "cohabitation" with the Socialists – could earn much more than a few points of its current low is unlikely.

But nonetheless, political polls say some help from some "It is far from clear that what happened in 1998 will be reproduced in the same way," Gael told Reuters Sliman, a sounder from Odoxa. "(But) we could very well see 5, 6, 10 points of popularity gains for the executive.

" This could also have a significant impact on the morale of the French economy, the confidence people in the future, their optimism in general. when it comes to consumer behavior. "

Lucky General

The Macron lieutenants have sought to downplay any suggestion that politics and football are linked, they do not want the president to be accused of the World Cup, even if Macron and his wife were in Moscow to attend the finals.

"We have nothing to do with that, but let's rejoice," Macron told his ministers last week. can expect that Sunday's euphoria will trigger a new wave of self-confidence and national pride, while perhaps improving France's reputation on the international stage.

What is it? Napoleon Bonap arte is supposed to have said of his military commanders: no matter their skill, "give me lucky generals."

"You have to be very careful about a political effect, but maybe there's will have a moral effect that will last the summer ", ad Ifop alerted Frédéric Dabi to Reuters. "I see more of an effect on the image of France abroad, that gives a cumulative effect, it reinforces the Macron refrain of" France is back "."

At the national level, the nation could make a "well-being"

After years of high unemployment, economic stagnation and a series of deadly Islamist attacks since 2015, the victory of the World Cup could help the nation to think that the worst is behind it. This can also help soften the pill that the government will soon unveil, with unpopular spending cuts expected after the summer.

"The second part of the year will be a little complicated," Ludovic Subran, head of research at Allianz, says: "The spending power is down and the French who are not entrepreneurs complain Macron needed this victory. "

According to Subran's research, the World Cup will boost French consumption by 0.2 points this year. in turn, economic growth will increase by 0.1 point

which might be enough to help Macron sing the tune of the 1998 French anthem: "I Will Survive".

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