"He [Achilles] has become the owner of the Russia football kit in the form of white and red overalls. His number is nine, which refers to the number of a cats' lives" Kondratyeva said adding that the cat did not object to wearing the jersey.

Achilles predicted the match winners during the 2017 Confederations Cup by selecting one of the two plates with food, each marked with the national flag of one of the teams. Three out of five of his predictions turned out to be correct.

Cats have been living in the Hermitage since the early 18th century clearing the gallery of rodents. At the moment, about 50 cats live in the cellars of the museum while a special department sees to their needs.

Russia will host its first-ever FIFA World Cup between June 14 and July 15 in 11 host cities. The 67,000-seater St. Petersburg Stadium will host a total of seven matches, including one round of 16 game, a semi-final and the match for the third place.