From being the ‘most unknown’ player of the World Cup to a top social media star: New Zealand national football team player Tim Payne has achieved unexpected popularity just before the tournament’s start.
The right-back for the domestic club Wellington Phoenix gained over a million followers on Instagram within two days, rapidly becoming New Zealand’s most followed football account. Even the All Whites’ team account with 46,700 followers or captain Chris Wood of Nottingham Forest with 162,000 cannot compete with this surge.
Remarkably, Payne had only 4,000 followers on Wednesday before Argentinian influencer Valen Scarsini launched a campaign. «I looked at all the teams playing in the World Cup to find the most unknown player, and after analyzing them individually, I found him,» said the Argentinian, who posts on social media as ‘elscarso’. According to his analysis, Payne had the fewest followers among all World Cup players.
Sudden World Cup Hype: Tim Payne Thanks Fans for ‘Pretty Crazy 48 Hours’
Scarsini then urged people to «flood his posts with likes and comments» to make Payne famous. Payne’s Instagram profile subsequently exploded. «First of all, I want to thank you very much, Valen. It’s been, to say the least, a pretty crazy 48 hours,» Payne stated in a video message. «I also want to express how grateful I am to represent my country at this World Cup.»
He added, «I really appreciate the support from all over the world. Muchas gracias!» The 32-year-old made these remarks from the preparation camp in Florida. By Friday morning, his Instagram follower count had already climbed to 1.4 million. Incidentally, he now has more than double the followers of influencer Scarsini, who initiated this surprising hype.