It was the news we had all been kept on tentacles for: Paul the Octopus has tipped Spain to win the World Cup.

Paul, resident in Oberhaus in Germany but British-born, has become a worldwide sensation after accurately predicting the outcome of matches involving his adopted nation.

He makes his prediction by selecting from two boxes, both of which contain identical food.

On Friday he made his call for the remaining two games of the tournament, tipping Germany to beat Uruguay in the third-place play-off on Saturday and Spain to overcome Holland in Sunday's final.

It is perhaps little surprise he opted for the Spanish, given Germany's long-standing rivalry with the Dutch.

The predictions were made amid a media frenzy, with both predictions shown live on British TV channels Sky News and Sky Sports News.

Paul has found his fame has come at a cost - reaction to his predication of a German loss to Spain in the semi-final brought a fierce backlash, even though the decision to go for zonal marking at set-pieces was clearly not his fault.

Several German newspapers called for him to be served up in one of the town's beer halls. He can be assured of asylum in Spain, especially if his 100 per cent record extends to Sunday's final.

"I am concerned for the octopus, I am thinking of sending a protection team," said Jose Luis Rodriguez, the Spanish Prime Minister.