The Costa Tropical lemur who predicted the World Cup winners

Sport

Julien had to choose between two bowls with the countries' flags in them while Joaquín Requena, the municipal manager of Loro Sexi Park, and Carlos Ferrón, the councillor for parks and gardens, in Almuñécar, filmed him

D. C.

We've had Paul the octopus who predicted Spain’s victory in Euro 2008 and the 2010 World Cup and this year it was Julien ... the lemur at from Loro Sexi wildlife park in Almuñécar on Granada province's Costa Tropical who was charged with the task.

One of the most charismatic residents of the Almuñécar park was asked to predict who he thought would win the match. No mathematical formulas, no artificial intelligence: the one tasked with predicting the winner was a friendly ring-tailed lemur who wasted little time in choosing the bowl of food with the Spanish flag.

Julien, aged 12 and originally from Madagascar, ignored the bowl bearing the blue-and-white flag and dived headfirst into the bowl with the Spanish flag under the watchful gaze of Joaquín Requena, the municipal manager of Loro Sexi Park, and Carlos Ferrón, the councillor for parks and gardens.

Whether it was a fix, like some of the rumours circulating about events in a number of World Cup 2026 matches or not, we may never know, but Julien was, one way or another, drawn to the Spanish flag and in the end he got it right.