Why 'Barca' Spiked on Google Trends India After Raphinha's Sevilla Hat-Trick

On 20 September 2026, searches for barca surged in India after Barcelona’s La Liga trip to Sevilla. Google Trends India recorded about 400% growth for the term over the past 24 hours, with roughly 500 queries linked to the match and Raphinha’s performance.

Barcelona vs Sevilla: the match that drove the spike

Barcelona beat Sevilla 3-1 at Ramon Sánchez-Pizjuan to extend their perfect start to the season. Sevilla led through Youssouf Fofana in the 19th minute, but Raphinha equalised three minutes later from an Andreas Christensen pass and added two more after the break, completing his second hat-trick in 72 hours.

The Brazilian’s treble was described by FC Barcelona as a perfect hat-trick, with goals from right foot, head and left foot. FC Barcelona noted the club’s best ever start to a season after eight wins from eight.

Raphinha’s striker shift and record start

With Robert Lewandowski and Ferran Torres gone in the summer, Hansi Flick has deployed Raphinha as a central number 9. The move has paid off with an average of almost two goals per game.

After Sevilla, Raphinha had 14 goals in eight appearances in all competitions, 12 in La Liga. That gave him a new club record for the best goalscoring start after eight games, surpassing César Rodríguez’s 13 goals in 1948/49. He also became only the third player in La Liga history to score 12 goals after seven matches.

Goal.com India highlighted the tactical change: Goal.com India reported on the treble and Flick’s squad decisions.

Flick’s squad management comments

The Sevilla game also drew attention for team selection. Debutant goalkeeper Dominik Livaković started ahead of Wojciech Szczęsny. Flick said the choice was based on feeling rather than pure analysis, and added that managing high-profile bench players is his hardest current task.

The surge reflects short-term match interest on 20 September 2026 and does not indicate sustained engagement beyond the game day. Early-season form can vary as the campaign progresses.