Viral stunt sees World Cup's 'least-known' player Tim Payne hit staggering 2.5m followers on Instagram

New Zealand international Payne has experienced an unprecedented surge in social media popularity due to a deliberate promotional campaign launched by an Argentine influencer. Valen Scarsini, known online as 'elscarso', singled out the Wellington Phoenix defender after researching the tournament's most obscure participants. The viral challenge immediately skyrocketed Payne's Instagram followers from under 5,000 to over 2.5 million and counting, eclipsing the combined digital reach of national icons and political leaders.

Scarsini mobilised his substantial digital following by posting a video across TikTok and Instagram that accumulated over six million views. Explaining his strategic selection process, Scarsini urged fans to rally behind the veteran full-back: "I looked at all the teams that play the World Cup for the least-known player and, after analysing one by one, I found it.

"Tim Payne is a defender and has a very difficult task: help New Zealand win their first World Cup match. They have never won one. What needs to be done to be the hero of the World Cup? First, follow Tim Payne. I'm going to tag him. Explode his posts with likes and comments. We need to start naming Tim Payne everywhere. You have to make videos feeding the legend of Tim Payne. If you have the World Cup album, upload a photo with your sticker."

The unexpected wave of digital interaction prompted direct communication between the professional footballer and the content creator. From New Zealand's training base in Florida, Payne initially reached out via private message before posting a formal video response to his new global audience: "Was wondering why my socials were blowing up and found your post, man. Appreciate the love! Gracias, hermano.

"Please excuse my Spanish, I'm still practising on Duolingo. Just want to say a massive thank you first to you, Valen, it's been a pretty crazy 48 hours to say the least. I just wanted to also express that I'm very grateful to represent my country at this World Cup, and I appreciate all the love from all around the world. Muchas gracias."

Payne must now shift his focus back to competitive football as New Zealand finalise their training camp ahead of a demanding group stage. The lowest-ranked nation in the tournament will open their campaign against Iran at SoFi Stadium on June 16 before facing Egypt and Belgium. Having registered an impressive qualifying campaign, the 32-year-old full-back faces a daunting challenge to help the All Whites secure their first ever victory at a World Cup finals.