KATHMANDU: On December 18, 2022, as the world tuned in to watch the final match of this year’s FIFA World Cup between Argentina and France, Google’s search engine recorded its “highest ever traffic in 25 years,” according to Google and Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai.
In a tweet, without revealing the exact figures, Mr. Pichai said, “Search recorded its highest ever traffic in 25 years during the final of #FIFAWorldCup , it was like the entire world was searching about one thing!”
At Qatar’s Lusail Stadium on Sunday, Argentina defeated France 4-2 in a penalty shoot-out to win the World Cup for the third time.
Argentina captain Lionel Messi scored twice and France striker Kylian Mbappe scored a hat-trick as a thrilling World Cup final finished 3-3 after extra time. For his performance, Messi won the Golden Ball for the best player. Kylian Mbappe came second to Messi for that award but did win the Golden Boot for the tournament’s top scorer with eight goals.