Wikipedia:Top 25 Report/July 15 to 21, 2018

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The Top 25 Report


Most Popular Wikipedia Articles of the Week (July 15 to 21, 2018)[edit]

Prepared with commentary by Stormy clouds

← Last week's report – Next week's report →

Elle est revenue en France[edit]

L'équipe de France a gagné la Coupe du Monde pour la deuxième fois dimanche dernier, et je crois que personne ne s'étonnera de constater que le foot est encore une fois le sujet dominant de la semaine.

To avoid causing further offence to any aghast Francophones with my abhorrent standard of la langue française, I will switch to a strictly anglophilic perspective hereafter. As with the last several iterations of the report, football is dominant, with the French victory in the Luzhniki Stadium resonating throughout the week, and accounting for a large bulk of the items in the list. My soccer (Ugh) aficionado has been left bored in the absence of the footy, but with monster transfers and massive pre-season friendlies, I need not despair. Aside from the football, the list is populated by television shows, deaths (real and fictional), and sublime acting. Hopefully next week, we will have a new contender at number one, without the necessity of a shocking death. We await eagerly, but for now let us rejoice in the elegance and formidability of the Bleus (last one, I promise).

Without any further delay, for the week of July 15 to 21, 2018, the 25 most popular articles on Wikipedia, as determined from the WP:5000 report were:

Rank Article Class Views Image Notes
1 2018 FIFA World Cup 1,932,942
And, as swiftly as it arrived on the collective television screens of the world, the football fiesta is finito, with France finding their way to a second victory, having already tasted glory as hosts in 1998. The French team, captained by goalie Hugo Lloris (the Premier League's second best sweeper keeper), swept aside the Croatian challenge with a two-goal margin in a convincing 4-2 win, capping off a great tournament and hoisting the fabled trophy once again.
2 Croatia 1,732,037
Finishing as the second most read article of the week are the defeated finalists of #1. Readers of Wikipedia were propelled by the football to research the Balkan state, which finally received just attention and plaudits for their soccer exploits, led by captain Luka Modric (#9). Croatia's road to the final is remarkably impressive for a wide array of reasons - the country was forced to qualify for the tournament through the dreaded play-offs, and has a miniscule population of merely 4.1 million. The young nation has had a tumultous, turbulent infancy, and many of the stars of the team were refugees. They deserve immense praise for overcoming the odds to reach the pinnacle of the game.
3 Kylian Mbappé 1,717,026
The newest wunderkind on the footballing block, Mbappé ascended to world stardom owing to his supreme performances in the World Cup, where he was integral to the French victory. The perfect blend of speed and skill, the nineteen year old is already capable of decimating defences, and, in a frankly ridiculous twist of events, is making €180 million look like a bargain for Paris Saint-Germain. He will doubtless claim many more accolades to accompany his newest title.
4 List of FIFA World Cup finals 987,029
As we see out the twenty first tournament, many Wikipedians sought a concise list of all of the quadrennial contests. The list dates back to 1930, where the first iteration of the footballing tourney was won by the hosts, Uruguay - the first of two victories for the small CONMEBOL nation.
5 Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović 919,210
With the exception of Mbappé, no BLP article drew more readers following the World Cup than that of the Croatian President, who attended the final alongside her French counterpart to cheer for the boys in red and white. The fact that viewers watching the largest sports event on the planet were more interested in googling the gorgeous politician in the stand than the play on the pitch says a significant amount about the degree to which filthy casuals watch the World Cup. All I can say is that we live in a society.
6 FIFA World Cup
(Obviously) 		915,497
Attentive fans of the Top 25 Report should be more than acquainted with this article, which has lurked in the top ten for the guts of a month at this stage. While the majority of readers gravitated towards the 2018 article, curiosity for the general topic, and the intriguing history of the Jules Rimet Trophy and the FIFA president behind it, has remained persistent, and did so in the wake of the tournament's conclusion.
7 France national football team 889,159
During their link race through Russia-related articles, football fanatics would doubtlessly have investigated the victors, who claimed victory under the astute stewardship of Didier Deschamps. Their glory in Moscow allowed the cockerel to avenge their loss to Eder in the final of the Euros two years ago. Looking at the abundant talent and youth of the squad, plenty more wins lie in the future of French football. At least now, they have put to bed the rumour that Frenchmen can't succeed in Russia - they just need to do so in the summer.
8 Rowan Atkinson 874,908 "Reports of my death have been greatly exaggerated".
Twain's famous quip proved accurate once again this week, as a hoax circulated online claiming that the seminal British comedian, who portrayed Mr. Bean and Blackadder, had met his end. Thankfully, this was false, and Atkinson is entirely healthy, and prepared to don the tuxedo of a clumsy English spy once more.
9 Luka Modrić 821,664
Now we turn our attention to two of the stars of the World Cup, both of whom participated in the final last Sunday, with vastly variant degrees of success. Both share multiple similarities, from the fact that they play their club football in the Spanish capital, to their propensities to hit sublime goals from outside the 18 yard box. However, it was the Fortnite-loving Frenchman who claimed victory in dubious circumstances. Nonetheless, Modrić's performances were recognised as he received the Golden Ball. Guess Antoine should just take the L on this one; not that he'll mind.
10 Antoine Griezmann 793,075
11 Deaths in 2018 736,463
Once again, Wikipedians were drawn throughout the week towards the list of the deceased, presumably propelled upwards by the propagation of certain pervasive myths.
12 Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again 729,051
"Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Film After Midnight). Won't somebody take me to the multiplex today."
Ten years after the release of the box office smash, a sequel has been released to the musical. Once again, it features the delightful tones of ABBA extensively, and serves as both a prequel and sequel to the original. The film has been well received, and looks poised to leave a whole new generation of Napoleons surrendering to the eloquent Eurovision champs. I just say thanks.
13 Paul Pogba 728,365
Since his scene-stealing move back to Manchester United, Pogba has languished in mediocrity. He has a manager who won't play him properly, a fanbase which hasn't warmed to his flamboyant taste in hair dye, and a reputation which rival fans (Oops) have diminished into meme-hood. However, he redeemed himself greatly alongside N'Golo Kanté during France's romp to World Cup glory, and seems to be a promising, developing talent, rather than a maligned figure, once again.
14 Extreme Rules (2018) 628,421
I would make a quip about the footy not being the only sport on Wikipedians' minds this past week, but it would be more apt and accurate to comment on the Academy Awards. Wrestling was on, and in spite of the Telstar-shaped distraction, many watched, wide-eyed and engrossed, as Dolph Ziggler claimed victory in a stark bout. While I may not relish wrestling, Wikipedia (and North Korea) does, hence its presence in the top 15.
15 Novak Djokovic 603,039
Following the return of the tennis legends of my youth to the zenith of the game, the Serbian superstar returned triumphantly to Centre Court, claiming his four Wimbledon championship with a victory against Kevin Anderson in the final. In defence of the defeated South African, he had cause to be fatigued following a comically long semi-final, composed of 99 games.
16 Cristiano Ronaldo 582,555 Ronaldo, arguably the world's best (non-Estonian) player in the world, had an early holiday, as Portugal were ejected from the World Cup a fortnight ago by Edinson Cavani's Uruguay. Nonetheless, the five-time Ballon d'Or winner has lingered in the headlines due to his €100 million transfer to Turin, which went down as one of the largest ever. He has big boots to fill in the legendary Italian club, as he seeks to emulate the legendary Michel Platini and win the UEFA Champions League with the club (pictured) - hopefully amidst less tragedy.
17 President of Croatia 555,540
Once again, we have a World Cup motivated entry, albeit indirect. The title of head of state of Hrvatska has been held by four individuals since independence from Yugoslavia, and the current president is the aforementioned Ms. Grabar-Kitarović (#5), who journeyed to Moscow to support Rakitić et al. against France. The cynic in me feels that the high page views for this article stem from people who failed to spell Grabar-Kitarović correctly. In fairness to them, it would be a wickedly difficult spelling bee challenge.
18 FIFA World Cup awards 539,968
Along with the conclusion of the World Cup came the handing out of awards to the top performers of the tournament. As mentioned previously, Modrić was awarded the Golden Ball, and Mbappé declared Young Player of the Tournament. However, other awards were given to those not in the final, as Thibaut Courtois won the Golden Glove (courtesy of a Hugo Lloris gaffe capitalised on by Mario Mandžukić), and the HurriKane won the Golden Boot after scoring six goals for the Trois Lions - no pharaoh could take that honour from him this time.
19 Ant-Man and the Wasp 522,431
I have the fortune to live on an emerald isle, which comes with many amazing advantages. Ar an drochuair, we often suffer in the cinema department, with blockbusters releasing here at a later date. Marvel Studios had bucked the trend of late, but opted to delay the latest adventures of the micro-sized Lang and Pym to avoid... something which may have caught the European attention. As such, I cannot comment on the quality of the film, but can assure you that I intend to view it at the earliest possible opportunity, if only to see if the ants will turn to dust.
20 Didier Deschamps 520,263
Deschamps was the manager of #7, leading them to victory in #1 against #2, with #3, #10, and #17 scoring in the 4-2 win. (Shorthand is fun, though apologies if this entry feels like an index). By leading his team to glory from the dugouts, Deschamps joins an illustrious list of two, alongside Franz Beckenbauer (probably the best defender in the history of the sport) as players to win the World Cup as captain and manager, having achieved the former in Le Stade de France two decades ago. Deschamps has truly cemented his legacy as a legend of le foot in France, and he never even had to cheat. (I'm not bitter...much)
21 2022 FIFA World Cup 512,150
As the confetti fell and the champagne popped in Moscow, the attention of the world turned immediately four years into the future, and began to ponder what lies ahead for the World Cup. The answer, of course, is Qatar, as FIFA, in their infinite wisdom, decided to host the 2022 version of the tournament in a desert. One could of course argue that the state has a long and storied history within the beautiful game, provided they wished to be patently wrong. However, even FIFA has conceded that the decision to award the tournament to Qatar was ill-advised, given its controversial nature. Who would have thought that picking a desert to host, necessitating a move to winter, would be a bad idea? Who?
22 Vladimir Putin 510,450 Vlad has had a busy week, and one which has evidently kept him in the headlines and mind of Wikipedians. Initially, he capped off a great World Cup for Russia by joining in with the French celebrations. Not even champagne could rain on his parade, much to the bemusement of eagle-eyed viewers. Then, he travelled to the Finnish capital (presumably by horse) to meet with Twitter god and discuss how he allegedly had a hand in the Don's election. So all in all, Vlad had the most fun since he dropped $50 billion on the bad Olympics.
23 Sacred Games (TV series) 495,905
Depending on who you ask, either television is dying, or it is in a Golden Age, aided and abetted by streaming services like Netflix. While Netflix has produced vast amounts of quality content for American audiences, from the vulnerable to the unbreakable, it has been less stellar for international audiences. Sacred Games aims to rectify this by providing content for the massive Indian market, featuring Bollywood star Saif Ali Khan (of course), and has been a major success, as can be seen from its high view count on Wikipedia.
24 Croatia national football team 457,641
The Croatian team captivated the world with their brave displays throughout the World Cup, going on to exceed even the fabled squad of 1998 as they reached the final. While Golden Ball winner Luka Modrić justifiably claimed the majority of the plaudits, the talent of the team as a whole is undeniable, with players like the stoic Ivan Rakitić and the defensive bastion Dejan Lovren (pictured) playing pivotal roles and making crucial contributions to the astounding success of the team.
25 Nelson Mandela 451,045
Mandela, the father of the modern Republic of South Africa, saw his biographical article promoted as a featured article this week, thrusting the legendary politician onto the main page once again, and into the consciousness of Wikipedians worldwide. The anti-apartheid campaigner, and first black President of South Africa, left behind an amazing legacy not only of moral leadership and victory over a bigoted, oppressive system, but of reconciliation and reunion, and the world was upset in 2013 as he concluded his long walk.
Wikipedia top 25 articles for the week July 15 to 21, 2018
Wikipedia top 25 articles for the week July 15 to 21, 2018

Exclusions[edit]

  • This list excludes the Wikipedia main page, non-article pages (such as redlinks), and anomalous entries (such as DDoS attacks or likely automated views). Since mobile view data became available to the Report in October 2014, we exclude articles that have almost no mobile views (5–6% or less) or almost all mobile views (94–95% or more) because they are very likely to be automated views based on our experience and research of the issue. Please feel free to discuss any removal on the talk page if you wish.
Note: If you came here from the Signpost article, please take any discussion of exclusions to this article's talk page.
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