PARIS (AP) — French President Emmanuel Macron showed off his sporting prowess again Wednesday, this time as Paris gears up to hold the Summer Olympics.
Macron, a well-known soccer fan, donned a jersey for a charity match alongside soccer legends and celebrity players at a club in Yvelines, west of Paris. The event, which raises money for a children’s health charity chaired by first lady Brigitte Macron, featured a lineup including former World Cup winners Laurent Blanc and Didier Deschamps.
Since being elected in 2017, the 46-year-old has seized multiple opportunities to demonstrate his athletic skills — and physique — in what observers view as a photo-friendly way to brandish a dynamic image as modern France’s youngest-ever president.
Earlier this year, photos of Macron pounding a punching bag went viral on social media in what was widely perceived as the latest round in his drive to toughen up Europe’s response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
North Carolina legislators return to adjust the budget and consider other issues
VOX POPULI: What jobs do children want to take in the future?
China issues punishments over 'ugly' childrens' books
New police search for missing mum Samantha Murphy in bushland in Victoria
Surging auto insurance rates squeeze drivers, fuel inflation
'Fast Track Bill' could breach free trade deals, environmentalists claim
Australian farm grows world's biggest blueberry
Biden signs a $95 billion war aid measure with assistance for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan
Yan Chenglong: Chinese chess champ dethroned after defecating and sex toy cheat claims
Former Wisconsin college chancellor fired over porn career is fighting to keep his faculty post
Kate's cancer the latest bombshell in royal family's year of woe