World Cup 2010: Paul the Psychic Octopus Retires After Final Prediction

Paul the psychic octopus was given a replica World Cup yesterday as he predicted the final result correctly and revealed that he is retiring from punditry.

The internet sensation, born in England, picked the winners in eight games, including the final.

His predictions got more people to go to the bookies, to bet on the teams he chose.

There was huge support for Paul all over the internet, apart from those who ended up on the wrong side of his prediction. Haters and lovers of Paul want a piece of him. 

"A host of offers from around the globe will be carefully vetted in the coming days to see if there are opportunities to spread Paul's fame even further, without involving the canny cephalopod directly," said the Sea Life aquarium's statement.

He has had a tough few weeks and deserves a bit of quiet time.

A spokesman said, "He has been a superstar and deserves a quiet retirement. Paul the octopus is arguably the most famous sea creature there has ever been."

Paul even correctly guessed that Spain would win the final against the Netherlands, and also that Germany would beat Uruguay in the third place playoffs.

He made watchers gasp before the semifinal predictions when he lingered over the box for the German flag, before opting for the Spanish flag instead. His home county's fans were not impressed, but Spain did go on and win 1-0.

Bitter German fans, and Argentinian fans, had threatened to turn him into sushi after he chose the other team. 

The Sea Life Centre in Oberhausen has received death-threat emails saying "we want Paul for the pan."

However, after Spain's triumph, the Spanish Prime Minister, Jose Luiz Rodriguez Zapatero, called for octopus to have bodyguards in case any angry fans want to visit him and try to kill him.

Paul was one of the highlights of this year's tournament and will be missed in future events.