Paul the Octopus made correct predictions for Germany's defeats over Australia, Ghana, England, and Argentina, as well as the defeats by Serbia and Spain. Photo by EPA/BGNES
Paul the Octopus forecast that Spain will be the winner at the 2010 FIFA World Cup.
According to the psychic cephalopod from Sea Life in Oberhausen, western Germany, Spain will win its first championship in its football history.
Paul the Octopus became a World Cup phenomenon after correctly predicting the result in all Germany's matches.
Sea Life staff help Paul make his prediction by lowering two boxes of food into his tank, one carrying a German flag and the other bearing that of their opponents. The case he opens first is adjudged to be his predicted winner.
The Spanish TV “RTVE” has broadcast live how Paul started to eat food from the Spanish box, completely neglecting the Dutch box.
However, after Paul's prediction about Germany's defeat to Spain turned out correct, German football fans have called upon grilling the Octopus.
“Throw him in the frying pan with burning oil,” the German “Berliner Kurier” called upon, followed by similar headlines in other German media like “Die Welt”, “Zuddeutsche Zeitung” and “Hamburger Abendblatt”.
However, the speaker of the aquarium in Oberhausen, Tanja Munzig, assured Paul will not be cooked.
“Not only we will not cook him, but he might even start a career. We already have a few requests for him. In any case, Paul did a great performance at the World Cup,” Munzig said.