Tim Payne just went from World Cup unknown to social media phenomenon in a matter of days. Argentine influencer Valen Scarsini, who posts as "elscarso" online, recently singled out the New Zealand defender as the tournament's least-known player and urged his followers to flood Payne's Instagram with attention, reports NBC News. "We are all waiting to cheer for our national team, but what if there was a player who united us all, a footballer we all support regardless of their nationality?" Scarsini said in a video posted on Tuesday, per ESPN.
Payne's account soon rocketed from fewer than 5,000 followers to about 1.6 million as of Friday morning, far surpassing even New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon, per NBC. The Guardian notes that Payne now also has at least 10 times more followers than Team New Zealand's most well-known player, captain Chris Wood of Nottingham Forest. "Was wondering why my socials were blowing up and found your post, man," Payne messaged Scarsini, who's known to help boost lower-profile teams and players, per ESPN. Payne added: "Appreciate the love! Gracias, hermano."
The 32-year-old Wellington Phoenix and All Whites player, who has 50 international appearances, or "caps," for New Zealand, previously drew notice in 2020 after breaking quarantine in Australia and being fined for driving a golf cart with a teammate while intoxicated, per NBC. He has largely stayed out of the spotlight since, but that's changed as he heads to the World Cup in coach Darren Bazeley's squad. New Zealand, the tournament's lowest-ranked team, will initially face Iran, Egypt, and Belgium in the tourney, starting June 15 in Los Angeles.
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