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New Zealand’s defender Tim Payne has witnessed an extraordinary surge in online popularity after a viral social media campaign catapulted him into global fame just before the World Cup. The initiative, led by a well-known Argentine influencer, has dramatically boosted the veteran full-back’s Instagram following to a remarkable 2.5 million users.

Overnight rise to prominence

The New Zealand international has become an unexpected internet celebrity thanks to a planned online campaign launched by Argentine influencer Valen Scarsini, popularly known as ‘elscarso’. After conducting research to identify the least-recognised players in the World Cup, Scarsini chose the Wellington Phoenix defender as his focus. The viral challenge quickly elevated Payne’s follower count from fewer than 5,000 to beyond 2.5 million, surpassing the digital reach of prominent national figures and political leaders.

Influencer reveals the idea behind the campaign

Scarsini leveraged his substantial social media base by sharing a video on TikTok and Instagram that attracted more than six million views. Explaining his reasoning, Scarsini said he wanted fans to rally around the New Zealand defender: “I looked through every team playing in the World Cup to find the least-known player, and after checking one by one, I found him.”

He continued, “Tim Payne is a defender with a tough mission — to help New Zealand win their first-ever World Cup match. They have never done it before. To make him the hero of the tournament, everyone should follow him, like and comment on his posts, and spread his name everywhere. Let’s build the legend of Tim Payne. If you have the World Cup sticker album, post a photo with his sticker.”

Payne shares heartfelt thanks

The sudden flood of online attention led to direct contact between Payne and Scarsini. Speaking from New Zealand’s training camp in Florida, Payne first sent a private message and later recorded a public video for his new global fan base: “I was wondering why my social media was going crazy and then I saw your post, mate. Really appreciate the love! Gracias, hermano.”

He added, “Please excuse my Spanish, I’m still learning on Duolingo. I just want to say a massive thank you to you, Valen. It’s been a wild 48 hours, to say the least. I’m incredibly proud to represent my country at this World Cup and deeply grateful for all the support from around the world. Muchas gracias.”

Preparing for a tough group stage

Payne now returns his focus to football as New Zealand wrap up their preparations for a challenging group stage. The tournament’s lowest-ranked team will begin their campaign against Iran at SoFi Stadium on June 16, followed by matches against Egypt and Belgium. After an impressive qualifying run, the 32-year-old full-back faces the enormous task of guiding the All Whites to their first-ever win at a World Cup finals.