The hyperactive "Super" Sarkozy thinks she is ponderous, slow and too keen on rules; the methodical "Iron Frau" Merkel considers him overly impatient, impetuous and too quick to break them.

The pair do not speak the same language - literally or metaphorically - so like the hapless comic duo, when it comes to Franco-German relations anything can happen.

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[The Economist] quoted a former European foreign minister saying Merkel and Sarkozy found each other "mutually unbearable" but said they had found a way to get along despite disagreeing on a number of major issues, including fiscal harmonisation.

"France and Germany have never been natural partners. Agreement always has to be worked on," a French official told the magazine.

Last month, in a report of Sarkozy's visit to Berlin to discuss the Greek crisis, Der Spiegel wrote: "The welcome will once again appear very cordial... Nicolas Sarkozy and Angela Merkel will also work the cameras this time around ... a kiss on the left cheek, a peck on the right one, smiles and waving. Behind closed doors, the atmosphere will be less amicable." It added: "The fronts have hardened - especially between Germany and France".

In the past the modus operandi of France has often been to dream up big European ideas ... and expect Germany to pay for them.

The Guardian: How the euro - and the EU - teetered on the brink of collapse: French president Nicolas Sarkozy dramatically forced German chancellor Anglela Merkel to retreat (14 May 2010)

The tensions were palpable, the theatrics mesmerising. It was well past midnight and the leaders, charged with saving the euro, were getting nowhere fast after a fine Friday supper. Greece might be saved. But Portugal? Ireland? Spain? Even Italy?

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Sarkozy claimed the political leadership of the 16 members, announced a defining victory against the markets and the "speculators" wrecking the currency. The metaphors were all martial. Europe was at war. He would not give away his "lines of defence". But by the time the markets opened on Monday morning, the enemy would have learned its lessons and beat a retreat.

In the previous hour upstairs at the summit, Sarkozy had thrown a wobbly. "It was really a drama," said an experienced European diplomat. "A very abrupt end to a summit - because Sarkozy said he had had enough and really forced Merkel to face her responsibility."

A European Commission official added: "He was shouting and bawling. The Germans were being very difficult, and not only the Germans. It was a big fight between Sarkozy and Merkel."

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According to senior Spanish government officials quoted by Spain's El Pais, Sarkozy called Merkel's bluff on what, 48 hours later, turned into a massive financial package that has rewritten the way the single currency functions and changed the European Union in fundamental ways that may take years to play out.

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"Sarkozy went as far as banging his fist on the table and threatening to leave the euro," one unnamed Zapatero colleague told the paper. "That obliged Angel Merkel to bend and reach an agreement."

The French had Spain, Italy, Portugal and the European Commission lined up behind them. On the other side stood Germany, ranged alongside the Dutch, the Austrians and the Finns, all quietly hoping Merkel would prevail.

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"It was a fundamental discussion about sovereignty, about the role of the member state, about what the EU is for, the role and power of the European Commission," said a second diplomat.

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Europe was opting for shock and awe. Repeatedly in the past two weeks, Merkel has declared that "politics has to reassert primacy over the financial markets". This was the attempt.

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Tellingly, the White House confirmed that Merkel, not Sarkozy, was the main obstacle to a decision staggering in its scale and ambition. Obama and Sarkozy "agreed" on the need for urgent action, while Obama and Merkel "discussed" the need for urgent action.

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Outline agreement had been reached on the European fund of €500bn. But who would control it? The Germans insisted it had to be national governments, not the European Commission. They won that argument and Christine Lagarde, the French finance minister, pushed for a rapid conclusion before the Tokyo traders switched on their computer screens. As argument continued over how to label the rescue, the Dutch conjured a new concept that kept everyone happy - a "special purposes vehicle". The deal was done. France had won. Germany had lost.

"This was supposed to be a German euro. It's turned into a French euro," complained a German expert.

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Barroso's argument was for full-fledged harmonisation of tax and spending policies among the countries sharing the currency, otherwise the euro had no future.

"Let's be clear. You can't have a monetary union without having an economic union," he said. "Member states should have the courage to say whether they want an economic union or not. And if they don't, it's better to forget monetary union altogether."

And in Aachen the next day, Merkel started talking about "the pound, the deutschmark, the franc, and the drachma". It sounded almost nostalgic for the old, simpler days of Germans' love affair with their national currency, though her speech was to advertise her credentials as a fervent European.

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Sarkozy's famous victory is less than final - and he might yet regret his showdown with a chancellor of Germany.