Cup's least-known player jumps from 4k followers to 1.5M in 48h | OneFootball

The World Cup hasn’t even started yet, but a New Zealand player is already reaping the rewards of sudden success. 

Right-back Tim Payne, 32, plays for modest Wellington Phoenix in his home country and seemed destined to be just another “almost anonymous” player at the World Cup.

Everything changed over the last 48 hours after Argentine influencer El Scarso went through all the World Cup call-ups with social media accounts. He identified Payne as the player with the fewest followers: 4.7 thousand.

The influencer then launched a campaign to get Payne more followers, likes, and comments. It worked.

By Friday morning, the New Zealander already had more than 1.5 million followers on Instagram.

The buzz was so big that he recorded a thank-you video in halting Spanish. 

Tim Payne’s new fans are now hoping for a goal that helps New Zealand claim its first-ever World Cup win.

The Oceania side is the lowest-ranked team in the FIFA rankings among the 48 nations qualified for the World Cup. It is in Group G alongside Iran, Egypt, and Belgium.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.

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