Lula da Silva presents Obama with Brazilian football shirt

(9 Jul 2009) SHOTLIST
1. Presidents Obama and Lula walk onto stage, shake hands
2. Lula summons aide with signed Braziliian football shirt
3. Obama and Lula talking through translator, UPSOUND translator, "Yes, we can."; Obama laughing
4. Close up signed Brazil shirt
5. SOUNDBITE: US President Barack Obama (English), "Hey, look at this - signed by the Brazilian team's players.."; they shake hands, Obama walks of stage and continues , "Beautiful. Alright, wonderful. I like that."; hands shirt to aide
STORYLINE
President Barack Obama seemed pleased with the gift he received Thursday from Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva at the G-8 summit in Italy, but it was bittersweet nonetheless.
Silva gave Obama, a big sports fan, the famed Brazilian football jersey, signed by the national team's stars, at the start of their morning meeting.
During their banter, which reporters partly heard through a translator, Silva spoke animatedly of the June 28 soccer match between the U.S. and Brazilian national teams in the Confederations Cup in South Africa.
The game was a crushing but expected loss for the Americans, who led 2-0, only to lose 3-2.
Silva repeatedly said, "Yes we can," which was Obama's campaign catchphrase and apparently what the Brazilian president had in mind while his team trailed.
Obama smiled gamely; if he felt Silva was rubbing it in a bit, he didn't
let on.
"Hey, look at this," Obama said of the jersey, "signed by
the Brazilian team's players. "Beautiful. Alright, wonderful. I like that."
White House spokesman Robert Gibbs later said Obama ended his 30-minute session with Silva by patting the Brazilian's back and vowing, "we will not lose a two-point lead again."
The President still has a lot to learn about the world's most popular sport - the correct term as known to billions of football fans across the world is "goals", not "points".
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