Few people could have predicted Russia’s run from FIFA’s 70th-ranked country to a spot in the 2018 World Cup quarterfinals. The Bank of Russia knew, however.
The Bank of Russia kinda predicted Russia’s win over Spain on special World Cup currency
The special 100 ruble notes feature a prescient image.
Kinda.
The Bank printed special 100 ruble notes in commemoration of the nation’s hosting gig, a practice it had previously undertaken with special bills for the 2014 Winter Olympics and Russia’s 2015 annexation of Crimea. The 2018 printing, however, seems to have predicted the future with its imagery.
Specifically one image of a diving player just barely getting his left foot on a ball. Turns out, that’s exactly how Igor Akinfeev would save Iago Aspas’s shootout penalty kick to give Russia one of the biggest upsets in World Cup history. Here’s the note (check out the top left corner and not the guy, uh, totally botching a save):
And here’s the game-winning save:
Don’t see it? Let the Bank of Russia point it out for you:
Forecasting has always been our strong point
# nogaakinfeeva
OK. So in fairness, that looks way more like a midfielder blasting away a shot than Akinfeev’s ridiculous save. And there’s also a much larger image of a goalie flailing at the ball and missing it within centimeters of the tiny holographic image that features the diving, kicking man the Bank has highlighted. It’s a coincidence...barely.
Still, if you’re the kind of person who’s into hometown cooking or just good old fashioned Russian conspiracies, this seems like a neat place to start.
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