Those of us following the World Cup closely have been enjoying the riveting action on the field of play, but there are those who are superstitous, or are statisticians, among us and who enjoy looking at the numbers game.

There are a few interesting numbers to look at. The 2010 Fifa World Cup is the first tournament since 1986 where players wearing the number 10 jersey are leading the goal scoring charts.

In 1986 England's Gary Lineker was the top scorer in Mexico with 6 goals, which included a hat-trick during his team's 3-0 win over Poland in the group stage. At the 2010 World Cup, Wesley Sneijder of The Netherlands tops the scoring charts with five goals and wears the number 10. David Villa of Spain is also sitting on 5 goals but wears the number 7 jersey.

In the history of the World Cup, apart from Lineker in 1986, a player wearing the number 10 jersey has been top scorer only one other time. That player was Argentina's Mario Kempes in 1978. At two of the last three World Cups the top scorer has worn the number 9 jersey.

Croatia's Davor Suker in 1998 and Ronaldo of Brazil in 2002 wore the number 9, while Germany's Miroslav Klose was the top scorer four years ago and wore the number 11 jersey.

Of all the teams in the World Cup, Germany are proving to be the most superstitious country. A Berlin aquarium has been using an octopus, which they have dubbed as their oracle to predict results for the German team.

He is given food in two dishes, one decked with a German flag and the other that of the opposing team. Whichever dish he has feasted from, that team has ended up winning.

Thus far he has managed to pinpoint the winner in every game the Germans have participated in at the World Cup. They will not be happy to hear that he is backing Spain to win their semifinal clash on Wednesday evening.

Germany have also asked their coach Joachim Loew to continue wearing the same blue sweater that he has worn from their first game. Team manager Oliver Bierhoff has even asked him not to wash it. They believe that the coach's apparel has something to do with their on-field luck.

German midfielder Bastian Schweinsteiger has a superstition of his own. He does not wear boots in any other colour but white, while goalkeeper Manuel Neuer only plays wearing a yellow goalkeeper's jersey.