Argentinin keeper Carlos Roa, perhaps most famous for his part in eliminating England from the 1998 World Cup, once refused a contract extension as he believed the world was going to end.
At the conclusion of the 1998/99 season the then Mallorca player declined a new deal with the club and retreated to a farmhouse in rural Argentina helpfully providing the following reasoning before he left:
"The year 2000 is going to be difficult," Roa declared. "In the world, there is war, hunger, plague, much poverty, floods. I can assure you that those people who don't have a spiritual connection with God and the type of life that he wants will be in trouble."
Happily Roa's concerns were unfounded and, with the world still continuing to exist, the keeper decided to return to his former club. However despite the inaccurate prophecy the experience ended up strengthing his convictions rather than weakening them with the returning Roa now refusing to play on Saturdays, limiting his appearances at club level and effectively ending his international career.
Despite this, the Santa Fe soothsayer stuck to his principals until his retirement in 2006. Some would say that in end Roa failed to make the most of his talent. Still, it's not the end of the world.
Is it?
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