The football frenzy ahead of the 2026 World Cup started in an unusual way – not on the pitch, but on social networks, where an almost unknown football player came into the spotlight.
It is about To Tim Paynea 32-year-old defender who plays in New Zealand, and whose profile exploded in just a few days – from less than a few thousand followers, he reached as many as 3.8 million on Instagram at the time of writing.
Behind the whole story is an Argentinian influencer El Scarsoreal name Valen Scarsini, who launched an unusual project in order to find the most unknown football player associated with the World Cup and turn it into a global phenomenon before the start of the tournament.
View this post on Instagram
Scarsini invited his followers to participate in the challenge and “build the legend of Tim Payne”, which quickly turned into a viral trend on the Internet.
We need to start making videos that will build the legend of Tim Payne. If you have official thumbnail album for the World Cup, post his thumbnail. The goal is to see how many people in the world will know about him before the first gamethe influencer said.
The popularity has gone so far that Payne is in South America also got a fan song in which he is celebrated as “a true master from birth to grave”.
The footballer himself, who plays for Wellington, stayed surprised by the sudden rise in popularity.
I was wondering why my social networks literally explodedand then I saw your video. The past few days have been completely crazy. I am grateful for the support and happy to represent my country. Thank you all on this incredible lovePayne said.
Although almost unknown to the general football public, Payne has behind him 52 performances for the New Zealand national team and scored three goals. He grew up playing football in Blackburn, England, and spent most of his club career in the domestic championship.
This will be his first appearance at the World Cup, and New Zealand is in a group with Belgium, Iran and Egypt. Regardless of the result on the field, Payne has already become one of the unexpected faces ahead of the tournament – thanks to the internet phenomenon that is spreading faster than football euphoria itself.
View this post on Instagram
(www.jabuka.tv | Photo: X)
