In the world of predictions, first there was Paul the octopus, then a certain Joachim Klement appeared with formidable precision. This German economist who works for an English investment bank has become, despite himself, the king of predictions by accurately predicting the last three world champions (Germany in 2014, France in 2018 and Argentina in 2022) with his statistical analysis model.
However, that was not the objective at all. Quite the contrary. Basically, he wanted to prove the impossibility of predicting what was going to happen. “It started as an exercise to show the world the arrogance of economists who think they can predict things they actually have no idea about,” he told the BBC.
2 errors at once
Despite his successes and his perfect predictions, the king of predictions continued to insist that his successes were linked to chance. “Now it’s become an exercise in how, if you’re lucky enough, people come to believe you’re a guru,” he added.
Joachim Klement has become a reference in the world of football. So much so that the results of his model were impatiently awaited before the 2026 World Cup. But this time, his model was wrong. He announced Brazil’s elimination against Japan in the round of 16.
Enough to make Neymar want to react. After his team qualified, he asked the economist about X. “Mr Joachim Klement, please try again at the next World Cup.” His post has been viewed more than 11 million times and liked by more than 180,000 people.
The Brazilian came back after the elimination of the Netherlands, which Joachim Klement saw as becoming world champions. “Failed again,” laughed Neymar.
For his part, Joachim Klement may have to telework for a few days. “Despite my warnings about my predictions, several colleagues bet money on the Netherlands,” he said before the World Cup.
