One of the lesser-known footballers at the World Cup has become a social media sensation, amassing five million followers in just a few days.
The bizarre mission of Argentine content creator Valen Scarsini, known as El Scarso, has completely turned the life of 32-year-old New Zealand defender Tim Payne upside down.
Scarsini, who has 1.2 million followers on Instagram, decided to find the most anonymous player at the tournament in the US, Mexico and Canada to see if he could make him a star. It all started with his question: “What if there was a player who united us all, a footballer we could all cheer for, regardless of nationality?”
He chose Payne, a Wellington Phoenix defender, because at the time he had just 5,000 followers on Instagram. Payne, who won a bronze medal at the Club World Cup with Auckland City in 2014, is best known for his feud with former Australian cricketer Tim Paine. After Scarsini’s call for action, that problem will no longer exist.
From 5 thousand to 5.7 million followers
Payne’s follower count exploded to 5.7 million in just two weeks, surpassing Scarsini himself and surpassing the population of New Zealand, which is 5.3 million. The footballer was initially confused by the numerous notifications on his phone, but soon learned that the Argentine creator was behind it all.
The new fan community also created the song “No Payne, No Gain,” which went viral, and Argentine DJ Juanka Cassane even tattooed Payne’s face on his leg. Payne’s wife, Michelle Peters, a photographer of Costa Rican descent, thanked the new fans in a video in Spanish.
“You are a genius, I can’t stop singing the song and laughing at all the comments. The team will never understand Latin American humor, but that’s why they have me. Thank you, Latin America, for embracing him and giving him so much love. Please take good care of him,” she said.
Supportive comments are flooding in under the song, with one user writing: “My mother gave me life, but Tim Payne gave me the will to live it.”
Pre-championship meeting
Scarsini and Payne finally met this week ahead of New Zealand’s friendly against Haiti. Although the All Whites lost 4-0 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, the atmosphere was lightened the next morning when the two protagonists of this story met at a hotel in Boca Raton.
“Dude, how are you?” Scarsini called. “I’m fine, bro, how are you? Nice to meet you, how’s this?” Payne replied in a mix of English and Spanish. “I didn’t know how to feel, you know, because all this attention is so foreign to me. I’m still processing it, but it’s wonderful. And I appreciate you doing this for me.”
Payne added that he was pleased not only with his promotion but also with the visibility the whole team was getting. “It’s obviously good for me, but it’s also good for New Zealand football. It puts us in the spotlight, which is positive. But I’m not changing. I’m still the same person. I’m just continuing to do what I do, which is play football and try to do my best for my country,” he said.
Payne gave Scarsini a signed jersey with the number 2 on it, and their meeting was captured on photos for social media.
New Zealand looking for first win
Tim Payne’s popularity dominated the headlines ahead of the tournament, and his story has become part of New Zealand football history. The team released a DVD after the 2010 World Cup called “Invincibles”, a humorous reference to the fact that they drew all three of their group matches (1–1 with Slovakia and Italy and 0–0 with Paraguay), which was still not enough to qualify.
This is New Zealand’s third World Cup appearance, following appearances in 1982 and 2010, and they are still waiting for their first win. They play their first Group G match on June 15 in California against Iran, before facing Belgium and Egypt.
