New Delhi: So after all Octopus Paul was right about a Spanish win in the final.
The two-year-old 'psychic' creature has put his name firmly in the history books after having correctly predicted the outcome of all of Germany's games and the final in this World Cup. But no such luck for Mani the parakeet, who had picked the Netherlands as the winner and will now have to eat humble pie.
So what next for Paul? Spanish businessmen have already offered 30,000 euros to buy the octopus for use as a mascot at a gastronomic event. But should the aquarium in Oberhausen decline to sell him, the businessmen hope to obtain him on loan for the festival on August 8, according to reports.
Meanwhile, the Italians are rejoicing too. They claim Paul is actually Paolo and the eight-legged creature is actually an Italian catch.
Verena Bartsch, the octopus' trainer on Sunday told the Sunday edition of Germany's Bild tabloid newspaper that she caught him in April in the sea off the Italian island of Elba, near Tuscany. He was four weeks old at the time.
Bartsch's version conflicts with Paul's official biography, according to which the octopus is two years old and came from Weymouth, England, before moving to an aquarium in Germany.
The debate over Paul's lineage may just have begun. He could be Italian or English or German, but he predicted seven games correctly and just like the 2010 World Cup was "this time for Africa", it will also be remembered "this time for Octopus Paul".
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