Viral stunt pushes World Cup's 'least-known' player Tim Payne to 2.5m Instagram followers

New Zealand defender Tim Payne has seen his Instagram following surge to more than 2.5 million after a viral online stunt. The jump came after Argentine influencer Valen Scarsini, who posts as 'elscarso', singled out the Wellington Phoenix full-back and rallied his audience behind him, sending Payne's followers from under 5,000 to over 2.5 million.

Scarsini amplified the campaign with a video on TikTok and Instagram that passed six million views. Explaining his choice, he said: "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." He urged fans to "start naming Tim Payne everywhere" and to "make videos feeding the legend of Tim Payne." Payne responded from New Zealand's training base in Florida, first via private message and then with a public video: "Was wondering why my socials were blowing up and found your post, man.

Appreciate the love! Gracias, hermano." He added: "Please excuse my Spanish, I'm still practising on Duolingo.

New Zealand, Wellington

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