Paul the World Cup octopus dies in his tank in Germany

Paul the octopus, an unlikely star of the 2010 World Cup who 'predicted' the outcome of eight matches, has died at an aquarium in Germany.

Staff at the Sea Life centre in Oberhausen said they were "devastated" to learn that he had passed away during the night.

Paul made his name by successfully choosing a mussel from one of two boxes bearing the flags of competing nations.

Octopuses rarely live beyond two years so his death was not unexpected.

The centre's manager, Stefan Porwoll, said that Paul had correctly guessed the winner of seven of Germany's World Cup matches, including their defeat, and had "enthused people across every continent".

As the tournament progressed, the octopus's uncanny knack of selecting the correct box drew increasing interest from the world's media, culminating in his choice of Spain as the eventual winner.

He became an instant hero in Spain, prompting a request to have him put on display at Madrid zoo.

Amid the euphoria, he was even made an honorary citizen of a Spanish town before being made an ambassador for England's 2018 World Cup bid.

The Oberhausen centre said he had seemed fine when last checked on Monday night but was found dead on Tuesday morning.

"We are consoled by the knowledge that he enjoyed a good life," Mr Porwoll said.

The prophetic cephalopod's brief but extraordinary life is unlikely to be forgotten.

A documentary has been filmed and books and toys are already planned for the Christmas market.

"It's a sad day. Paul was rather special but we managed to film Paul before he left this mortal earth," said his agent, Chris Davies.

A memorial is to be erected at the aquarium in his memory.

hehehehe lepas ni si nuri sg lak naik nama kut..

jadik sotong celup tepung aa paul nih!

kematian dia pasti diraikan oleh oranje fan..he3..

mati jugak akhirnya, huk3

Tetiba terasa nak makan nasi lemak sambal sotong

ashes wrote:kematian dia pasti diraikan oleh oranje fan..he3..

silap2 ada foul play dari Germany sendiri muhahahahaha!

Paul di mummykan.. buat tatapan peminat dia

hehehehee. aku rasa citer sebenarnya Paul salah tilik kali ni

Konspirasi!!!!! Paul telah dibunuh!!!

Camna ler sukan nak maju.. orang lebih sibuk dengan sotong dari sukan tuh sendirik..

R.I.P

rasanya x dibunuh kot, maklumler jangka hayat sotong kurita adalah antara 2 ke 3 tahun saja, paul dh 2 tahun lebih...

Paul mati lemas.... apa-apa pun sambal sotong best, nak order nasik lemak sambal lebih ler...

standupper wrote:Paul mati lemas.... apa-apa pun sambal sotong best, nak order nasik lemak sambal lebih ler...

har3...

standupper wrote:Paul mati lemas.... apa-apa pun sambal sotong best, nak order nasik lemak sambal lebih ler...

amacam nasi lemak sotong banting

alaa...ciannya...gerenti german menang 4 tahun lagi...

mumuchi wrote:

standupper wrote:Paul mati lemas.... apa-apa pun sambal sotong best, nak order nasik lemak sambal lebih ler...

amacam nasi lemak sotong banting

Lepas ko bagi direction dah takde chance turun Banting.

tu la terus sejukk..er yang lepas tu kat jugra bukan ko pergi ya..

potong kecik2 buat goreng tepung.......

mumuchi wrote:tu la terus sejukk..er yang lepas tu kat jugra bukan ko pergi ya..

Kat Jugra tang apa plak bro??

jofizo wrote:potong kecik2 buat goreng tepung.......

Kurita goreng kunyit....

standupper wrote:

jofizo wrote:potong kecik2 buat goreng tepung.......

Kurita goreng kunyit....

bukan depa jumpa kubur gelap konon kait ngan kes

mumuchi wrote:

standupper wrote:

jofizo wrote:potong kecik2 buat goreng tepung.......

Kurita goreng kunyit....

bukan depa jumpa kubur gelap konon kait ngan kes

Yg diorg pakai jengkaut tuh ke?

tak silap aku la..tapi yang ni kurang sensasi sikit..fasal jumpa body kan..