Moscow (CNN) When Russian President Vladimir Putin meets President Donald Trump in Helsinki, Finland, on Monday, he will be riding a symbolic high: The Helsinki summit comes a day after the World Cup final in Moscow, a prestige event that has inspired a burst of patriotism in Russia.

While Russia was eliminated in the quarterfinals in a heartbreaking penalty shootout against Croatia, Russians felt a boost in pride, joy and respect, drawn by the national team's surprisingly strong overall performance, according to state pollster VTsIOM. Some 70% of Russians watched the tournament, VTsIOM found.

US President Donald Trump, right, meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin at the G20 summit in Hamburg, Germany on July 7, 2017.

Monday's summit gives Putin a chance to practice a role he has been perfecting for 18 years: Playing the statesman. Like a royal wedding or Trump's meetup in Singapore with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, Helsinki will be an extraordinary photo opportunity for the Kremlin leader, putting him on equal footing with his American counterpart.

A one-on-one meeting with Trump gives the meticulously prepared Russian President a chance to appear the more assured player, in a sit-down with his famously brash and improvisational American counterpart.

Putin is always well briefed: His annual marathon press conference is perhaps the Kremlin leader's most telling display of his vast knowledge, having mastered the minutiae of economic data and statistics.

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