So, who will win the football World Cup final?

Spain or the Netherlands?

Sure, not many are ready to hazard a guess?

But an octopus and parakeet already have the winner.

Yes, you heard it right!

Paul, the octopus, has picked Spain, while Mani, the parakeet, feels the Dutch will prevail in Sunday's final.

He may not have as many predictions under his belt as Paul, the British-born aquarium dweller at Sea Life in Oberhausen, western Germany, but Mani, from Singapore's 'Little India', is a  local celebrity after having predicted correctly winners for the quarter-finals and the semi-finals.

As Vicente Del Bosque's high-flying La Furia Roja prepares to take on Bert Van Marwijk's industrious and effective Oranje at Soccer City Stadium in Johannesburg, fans can only keep their fingers crossed.

Will it be Paul's pic or Mani's?


中文相关报道:

  德国奥博豪森海洋馆的章鱼“保罗”做出最新预测,在德国与乌拉圭的季军争夺战中,德国队将战胜乌拉圭队,随后的决赛预测中,章鱼保罗选择了西班牙。几乎是同时,新加坡的长尾鹦鹉马尼则预测荷兰队将捧杯。

  章鱼保罗的预测在北京时间下午17时正式开始,这一次保罗的预测比前面几次都要迅速,一周前它在预测德国与阿根廷的比赛时用了一个多小时,这一次保罗只用了11分钟。章鱼来到透明的水族箱里后,很快就盘上了标有德国国旗的盒子,随后打开盖子将里面的贝壳取出吃掉,这也预示着德国队将取得本场比赛胜利,章鱼保罗前面六次预测全部正确。

  预测了德国与乌拉圭的季军战之后,章鱼保罗休息了大约25分钟。在随后的决赛预测中,保罗毫不犹豫的选择了印有西班牙国旗的盒子,预测西班牙将战胜荷兰夺冠,这也是章鱼保罗本次世界杯中首次预测非德国队的比赛。

  经过了本次世界杯的表演,章鱼保罗已经成为了地球上最著名的动物之一,他到目前为止的六次预测全部正确。其实在世界杯期间预测比赛的动物不止保罗一个,就在德国就还有猴子、河马参与了预测,不过他们都在“组未能出线”,只有保罗坚持到了现在。

  不过决赛中章鱼保罗也遇到了强劲的对手,来自新加坡的长尾鹦鹉马尼预测荷兰队将捧杯!这只长尾鹦鹉也不是等闲之辈,它此前准确的预测除了世界杯四场1/4决赛的结果和半决赛西班牙将战胜德国。本周日的世界杯决赛,除了西班牙与荷兰之外,也是章鱼保罗和鹦鹉马尼的一次对决。