New Zealand defender Tim Payne has become an unlikely social media sensation after an Argentinian influencer launched a campaign to make him a 'hero' of the upcoming World Cup. Payne, who had around 4,700 Instagram followers earlier this week, now boasts over a million after being singled out as the least-known player at the tournament.
El Scarso, a football influencer also known as Valen Scarsini, identified the 32-year-old as the least-known player among all World Cup squads based on his small social media following. Scarsini urged his 500,000 followers to 'start mentioning Tim Payne everywhere' and create videos to build his legend.
Payne's follower count surged at a rate of nearly 1,000 per minute, now six times greater than that of New Zealand captain Chris Wood, who plays for Nottingham Forest. A song supporting Payne has also emerged, with a chorus in Spanish that includes the line 'no Payne, no gain'.
Payne, who plays club football for Wellington Phoenix in the A-League Men, responded to the campaign on Friday. 'Was wondering why my socials were blowing up and found your post, man. Appreciate the love! Gracias, hermano,' he said. He expressed gratitude for the global support and noted it had been 'a pretty crazy 48 hours'.
New Zealand are appearing in their third World Cup, having qualified in 1982 and 2010 but never won a match. They are in Group G alongside Belgium, Iran and Egypt.
