Zeenews Bureau
Oberhausen: Paul, the psychic octopus has picked Spain to win the final against Netherlands to be played on Sunday and lift the World Cup trophy.
The Spaniards moved through to the final of the tournament after beating Germany in the semis on Wednesday.
This is Spain's first ever appearance in a World Cup final, where they will face off against Netherlands.
Paul the Octopus has turned into a global superstar revolving around the 2010 World Cup, with top political leaders in Spain even worried about the oracle mussel-eater's safety.
Football players, fans and politicians turned into believers of the Paul phenomenon after the psychic octopus correctly picked the winner of yet another World Cup match involving the German national team.
From his tank at Aquarium Sea Life in Oberhausen, the formerly England-based Paul predicted Spain would beat Germany in the semifinals after having chosen Germany wins over Australia, Ghana, England and Argentina and a loss against Serbia.
'This Paul is a miracle,' said Spain midfielder Xabi Alonso after the team's semifinal win.
Paul has become a star around the world, appearing on Australian television, CNN, BBC, the Washington Post, the New York Times and dozens of sports papers. The German news channel ntv even carried Paul's selection between Germany and Spain live with two reporters doing commentary.
The Twitter account 'Pulpo Paul' is one of the most-searched in the charts. And there are a number of fan pages on Facebook - mostly from Spain.
Now fans from Spain and the Netherlands are both anxiously awaiting Paul's prediction for the final.
Two glass cubes were baited with mussels and marked with flags of Germany and Uruguay.
While Spanish football supporters are in heaven about La Roja reaching their first World Cup final, politicians are worried about irate - if not idiotic - German fans who blame Paul for their team's 0-1 loss against Spain in the World Cup semis.
First Published: Friday, July 09, 2010, 15:46