New Zealand defender Tim Payne has unexpectedly become one of the most talked-about footballers on social media ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup after an Argentine content creator launched a viral campaign to turn him into what he described as the tournament’s “protagonist.”The movement, started by Argentine influencer Valen Scarsini, better known online as “elscarso,” transformed Payne from a relatively unknown international footballer with fewer than 5,000 Instagram followers into a viral World Cup figure with more than 900,000 followers within days.The number continues rising rapidly, with Payne now boasting a larger Instagram following than New Zealand captain and Premier League striker Chris Wood, the official All Whites accounts and even New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon combined.
Argentine influencer searches for the World Cup’s ‘least-known’ player
Scarsini, who has more than 697,000 followers on TikTok and 458,000 on Instagram, explained that he intentionally searched through every World Cup squad looking for the least recognisable footballer participating in the tournament.“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,” Scarsini said in a video that accumulated more than six million combined views across Instagram and TikTok.After studying every nation involved in the competition, Scarsini selected New Zealand defender Tim Payne as the ideal candidate for his social media experiment.The creator then encouraged supporters worldwide to rally around the Wellington Phoenix player regardless of nationality.According to the video , Scarsini described Payne as “the one player who could unite us all, a footballer we all support regardless of our nationality.”He also referred to the defender as the “protagonist” of the World Cup while building the campaign around the idea of turning an overlooked player into one of the faces of the tournament.
Fans flood Tim Payne’s account after viral campaign
Scarsini instructed his followers to actively push Payne into internet fame before the World Cup even begins.“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,” he said.“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 campaign immediately exploded online.One of Payne’s Instagram posts celebrating his 50th appearance for New Zealand in March received more than 70,000 comments after Scarsini’s followers flooded the account.Another video by the Argentine influencer gathered nearly seven million Instagram views as fans across Latin America and beyond embraced the unusual movement. Supporters also created a viral chant for Payne by adapting Argentina’s famous “Muchachos” anthem, praising the New Zealand defender and backing him for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.Scarsini later intensified the hype even further by declaring: “He is already the player of the tournament.”
Tim Payne reacts after discovering sudden internet fame
Payne himself appeared completely unaware of the campaign when his social media notifications suddenly exploded.In a follow-up video, Scarsini revealed the New Zealand defender privately messaged him after discovering why his accounts had suddenly gone viral.“Was wondering why my socials were blowing up and found your post, man,” Payne wrote.“Appreciate the love! Gracias, hermano.”The defender’s dramatic rise has now made him one of the most followed footballers associated with New Zealand football despite previously maintaining a relatively low international profile.
Payne’s New Zealand journey and World Cup challenge
The 32-year-old defender currently plays for Wellington Phoenix and has become one of the experienced figures within the All Whites squad.Payne has played more than 140 matches for Wellington Phoenix and has represented New Zealand internationally since making his senior debut in 2012.He has earned more than 50 international caps and scored three goals for his country while also previously featuring for New Zealand at both FIFA U-17 and U-20 World Cups earlier in his career.During New Zealand’s successful qualification campaign for the 2026 World Cup, Payne contributed one goal and four assists before being named in Darren Bazeley’s final 26-man squad.New Zealand enter the tournament as the lowest-ranked side in the competition and are preparing for their first World Cup appearance since 2010.
FILE – New Zealand All Whites pose for a team photo ahead of their international soccer friendly against Chile in Auckland, New Zealand, Monday, March 30, 2026. (Shane Wenzlick/Photosport via AP, File)
The All Whites have never won a match at the FIFA Men’s World Cup despite qualifying for the tournament in 1982, 2010 and now 2026.They will open their Group G campaign against Iran before later facing Egypt and Belgium as they attempt to secure the country’s first-ever World Cup victory.
Viral campaign mirrors influencer’s previous football experiment
This is not the first time Scarsini has orchestrated a football-related social media movement.Last year, he carried out a similar campaign involving Swiss second-tier side FC Balzers, whom he labelled the football club with the “smallest fan base.”After posting videos encouraging followers to support the club online, FC Balzers reportedly ended up with a social media following larger than Swiss champions FC Basel.Now, with Tim Payne unexpectedly becoming one of the internet’s most recognisable World Cup names, millions of football fans worldwide are suddenly preparing to follow the journey of a New Zealand defender many had never heard of only days earlier.
