Gallic pride took an embarrassing knock ahead of France’s World Cup final match when the annual Bastille Day military parade went awry in the air and on the ground and in full view of President Emmanuel Macron.

The July 14 parade is France’s chance to display its military muscle as soldiers troop down the Champs-Elysées under the gaze of the President and French fighter and reconnaissance jets thunder past overhead.

But only minutes into the parade down "the world's most beautiful avenue", a glaring glitch occurred as two gendarmes involved in a complex motorbike ballet with horsemen from the Republic Guard crashed into each other within yards of Mr Macron.

The president kept a straight face, even clapping, as the two red-faced gendarmes struggled to lift their heavy bikes. A visibly irked military band conductor upped the tempo and the parade continued.