🎥 First meeting! Social media star made World Cup driver famous | OneFootball

🎥 First meeting! Social media star made World Cup driver famous | OneFootball

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OneFootball

·04 de junho de 2026

🎥 First meeting! Social media star made World Cup driver famous

Imagem do artigo:🎥 First meeting! Social media star made World Cup driver famous

Until a few days ago, New Zealand international Tim Payne was probably known to only a handful of football fans. Practically overnight, his number of social media followers multiplied a thousandfold — from four thousand to more than four million. 

He has Argentine social media star El Scarso to thank for that above all. Last week, El Scarso declared Payne the “most unknown player” at the World Cup and called on his community to help the previously overlooked pro gain more followers.


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After New Zealand’s World Cup warm-up against Haiti, the footballer and his biggest promoter finally met for the first time — at least in terms of reach. 

At the meeting in Miami, Payne got the chance to say thank you: “I had no idea what was going on. I didn’t understand it. It’s all so foreign to me. I’m still trying to make sense of it, but it’s wonderful.”

El Scarso mainly wanted to know how it had changed the footballer’s life. Payne then revealed that the newfound attention could only be a good thing for him and for New Zealand’s national team. The Argentine also had to admit that the rapid development was crazy and that he had not expected it.

Payne then asked him why he had chosen him in the first place. The answer is not shown in the video, but El Scarso had already explained in his appeal that he went through the social media profiles of the World Cup players and chose the one who had the fewest followers at that time. To wrap things up, the influencer received a signed New Zealand jersey, and the two also invited each other to visit their respective home countries. 

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


📸 Megan Briggs - 2026 Getty Images

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