Trump’s soccer jersey gift from Friedrich Merz at G7 has a hidden meaning—Here’s what ‘47’ stands for

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz presented Donald Trump with a custom ‘47’ Germany football jersey as a belated birthday gift at the G7 summit in France.

The 70-year-old Merz presented Trump with a personalized national soccer team jersey at the start of a G7 working session mainly focused on Russia’s war on Ukraine.

Trump graciously accepted the shirt and held it up for photographers before placing it on the table beside him.

On the social platform X, Merz shared special photos of himself presenting the US President with a Germany jersey commemorating 'Trump ‘legacy and the number 47-a reference Trump being the 47th president of the United States.

On Sunday, the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) officially headed to the White House today, becoming the first inaugural sporting event to be staged on the US presidential grounds, which coincided with his 80th birthday.

Trump inspected the kit with Germany’s black-red-gold stripes, as the group prepared for sessions on global conflicts including Ukraine and tensions in the Middle East. Observers saw it as a light-hearted moment of personal diplomacy amid serious discussions on NATO, trade, and security ahead of the 2026 World Cup.

The historic moment sparked a wave of intriguing reactions with one user writing, “If Friedrich Merz truly believes he's playing on the same team as US President Donald Trump, then he's either mistaken or lying once again. The Chancellor can at best take a seat on the bench. In contrast, Leroy Sané is a firmly established regular player.”

Second wrote, “Friedrich Merz, who styles himself as a "strong" German Chancellor, has reached a new low in German foreign policy with his obsequious birthday tribute to Donald Trump.”

The US and German national teams are coming off predominant victories to open their World Cup campaigns, with the Americans defeating Paraguay, 4-1 on Friday while Die Mannschaft thrashed Curacao 7-1 on Sunday.