Paul the octopus: Psychic Octopus Picks Spain to Win World Cup Final

Paul the octopus has predicted that Spain will beat the Netherlands in the final this Sunday to win the World Cup.

Germany’s oracle made his pick this morning, choosing the tasty treat in the tank marked with a Spanish flag while ignoring the mussel in the Dutch tank.

Octopus oracle Paul chooses a mussel from a glass tank marked with a Spanish flag, next to a box with a flag of Holland, in the SeaLife Aquarium in Oberhausen, Germany, Friday, July 9, 2010. Paul predicts Spain will beat Holland and win the World Cup. (AP Photo/dapd, Roberto Pfeil)

This is the first time that the octopus has been asked to devour a decision for a game in which Germany was not involved. Paul, credited with a perfect batting average, has correctly predicted all six of Germany’s World Cup games, foreshadowing Germany’s wins over Argentina, England, Australia and Ghana and its loss to Spain and Serbia.

Paul also predicts that Germany will beat Uruguay in Saturday’s match for third and fourth place.

“Paul is such a professional oracle — he doesn’t even care that hundreds of journalists are watching and commenting on every move he makes,” Stefan Porwoll, the Sea Life aquarium manager, told AP.

But many Germans are none too happy about the octopus’ pick. After Spain defeated Germany in the semifinals, many disgruntled fans wondered how their sea creature would taste grilled. The animal’s latest prediction has left them even more distressed.

“I am concerned about the octopus,” Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero told AP. “I’m thinking about sending in a team to protect the octopus because obviously it was very spectacular that he should get Spain’s victory right from there.”

Paul’s perfect palate will be tested this Sunday at 2:30 p.m. ET as Spain and the Netherlands play for the 2010 FIFA World Cup title.

Click here to see Paul the octopus make his prediction.