MUMBAI: The FIFA World Cup last year certainly caught the imagination of Indian football lovers on the internet as it topped the overall list of Google Trends in the country in 2018.
For the tournament, Nagaland showed the maximum interest of 100% of all states across India with four other north-eastern states namely Sikkim (86%), Manipur (78%), Meghalaya (68%) and Arunachal Pradesh (55%) completing the Top 5.
Football-passionate states such as Goa (45%), Kerala (42%), West Bengal (38%) and Tamil Nadu (18%) surprisingly scored low, ranked 6th, 8th, 10th and 18th respectively.
Internet users searched about the tournament’s live schedule and opening ceremony the most amongst queries. The thrilling group game between Spain and Portugal which ended in a 3-3 draw, was ranked third in this regard.
England’s Harry Kane was the most searched footballer during the tournament while third-placed Belgium drew the most interest amongst all teams.
Google is sought after for live scores in sport, which ranked second after the FIFA World Cup. The IPL, Pro Kabaddi League and the Asia Cup scores were the most searched for in the year.
The IPL 2018 was ranked third in the overall category and second in the sports events category. The union territories of Daman and Diu and Dadra and Nagar Haveli generated 100% and 99% enthusiasts respectively for the tournament on Google. It was followed by West Bengal (90%), Tamil Nadu (85%), Puducherry (84%), Odisha (83%) and Jharkhand (78%).
Fascinatingly, only WB and TN have IPL teams amongst these regions. Maharashtra was strangely ranked 12th at 68%. KL Rahul and Kings XI Punjab caught the attention of Google users during the tournament when it comes to the most searched cricketer and teams. The IPL Orange Cap winner has emerged as the most asked query.
In the sports event category, the Asia Cup cricket tournament, the Asian Games and Winter Olympics were ranked third, fourth and fifth respectively.
The Asian Games was followed the most online by Arunachal Pradesh (100%), Andaman and Nicobar Islands (91%), Uttarakhand (78%), Dadra and Nagar Haveli (75%), Tripura and Nagaland (73% each). Mizoram and Goa registered figures of 72% each while Haryana and Assam scored 70% each in the top 10 sub-regions.
The gap of interest amongst sub-regions grew larger for the Winter Olympics in North Korea as Andaman and Nicobar Islands scored a 100% but the second best was Mizoram at 33%. Shiva Keshavan, who was the first ever Indian luger to qualify for the event, was the most searched athlete during the event.
