Wellington Phoenix and All Whites defender Tim Payne’s social media following has exploded overnight as the campaign to make him a star ahead of the FIFA World Cup gathers momentum.
If you thought yesterday’s numbers were staggering, you hadn’t seen anything yet.
When we first reported on the Tim Payne World Cup phenomenon, the Wellington Phoenix and All Whites defender had rocketed from 4,700 Instagram followers to half a million in a matter of hours, all thanks to Argentine influencer Valen Scarsini – known online as El Scarso – declaring him the tournament’s unlikely hero. Overnight, the Tim Payne story has taken on a life of its own.
Payne’s Instagram has now smashed through the one million follower mark — a number that would have seemed utterly laughable just 48 hours ago when he sat at 4,700.
The scale of the Tim Payne World Cup surge is now hard to put into perspective. Payne has surpassed several prominent New Zealand personalities in follower count, including Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and All Blacks star Ardie Savea – and that was when he was at 660,000. He’s left them all even further in his wake since. The campaign has also transcended borders, with music producer Bizarrap jumping on board and amplifying its reach even further.
Major international outlets including NBC News have now picked up the story, a sign that what started as a quirky South American social media stunt has firmly entered the global mainstream.
Through it all, the All Whites defender remains focused on the football – despite posting a thank you to all his new and emerging fans! New Zealand face Iran on June 16, with Payne expected to start as the All Whites chase their first ever FIFA World Cup win. With over a million people now following Tim Payne on Instagram, the pressure – and of course, the adoration – has never been greater.
The legend of Tim Payne is only just getting started.
