And he didn’t leave out Croatia and Russia in his congratulatory tweet either.

Last night, France played out of their skins against Croatia to win the finals of the FIFA World Cup.

The congratulatory messages flowed in thick and fast from around the world.

In a specially poignant moment, minutes after the final whistle, HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Vice president of the UAE and ruler of Dubai — who also celebrated his 69th birthday yesterday – sent out a tweet congratulating France on their victory.

He also extended his congratulations to the runners-up Croatia, by saying “Congratulations to Croatia, beautiful play.”

He reserved his warmest greeting for Russia though when saying, “Special congratulations to Russia for their wonderful organisation.

“The people around the world enjoyed an unexpected World Cup. Love the most beautiful and exciting game.”

When Sheikh Mohammed referred to an unexpected World Cup, we can only imagine he was referring to the 69th minute of the final when Mario Mandžukić beat a slightly sloppy French goalkeeper Hugo Lloris to sneak away a goal in a moment that threatened to erode France’s lead over Croatia and level the game.

sheikh mohammed

That didn’t happen and by the end of the game France were the world champions.

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Halfway across the world, Sheikh Mohammed’s son, HH Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, is on a holiday in Norway and his Instagram story shows him somewhere in the wilderness watching the finals on his mobile phone.

Sheikh Khalifa, the President of the UAE, also sent his congratulations to Russian President Vladimir Putin on the successful organization of the World Cup. Sheikh Khalifa added that Russia had utilized its resources well in contributing to the success of the event.

Getting in on the excitement of the victory, the French ambassador to the UAE Ludovic Pouille posted a GIF of the special lighting sequence undertaken on the Burj Khalifa yesterday to mark France’s victory.

In the caption to the image, Pouille thanked the UAE and the authorities for the message on the Burj Khalifa and for the friendship shared between the two countries.

To which we add, Vive la France!

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Images: Instagram