{
  "$type": "site.standard.document",
  "bskyPostRef": {
    "cid": "bafyreiavnavytl7idwzrsqwv3e7w2pkb7fvestaufmx5id4dncssjuv6bm",
    "uri": "at://did:plc:neqfhinxgjyy6qagpbcb6wfe/app.bsky.feed.post/3mnc7tve2j772"
  },
  "coverImage": {
    "$type": "blob",
    "ref": {
      "$link": "bafkreie63yjwzfaqo4bscn3npsluuklwgxhydjnrbgxtfvwyannorea3ly"
    },
    "mimeType": "image/jpeg",
    "size": 117289
  },
  "path": "/partner/tim-payne-instagram-followers",
  "publishedAt": "2026-06-02T08:49:43.000Z",
  "site": "https://nukta.com",
  "textContent": "\n\n\n\nNew Zealand footballer Tim Payne's viral fan club surpassed four million followers on Tuesday after Argentine influencer Valen Scarsini highlighted him as the \"least known\" player at the World Cup. The sudden surge has pushed Payne's social media following beyond that of the All Blacks and turned the Wellington Phoenix defender into an unlikely internet sensation ahead of the tournament.\n\n#### Why did Tim Payne's viral fan club reach 4 million followers?\n\nTim Payne's follower count exploded after Argentine influencer Valen Scarsini, known as \"El Scarso\", encouraged his audience to follow the New Zealand defender. The campaign quickly gained momentum online, taking Payne from around 4,000 Instagram followers to more than four million within a week and making him one of football's most unexpected viral stars.\n\nScarsini launched the campaign last week by asking fans to support the unheralded right-back ahead of the World Cup. What began as a light-hearted social media movement rapidly spread across platforms, attracting millions of followers from around the world.\n\nDespite the extraordinary rise in popularity, New Zealand coach Darren Bazeley believes Payne has handled the attention well.\n\n\"At the moment I do feel like he's dealing with it really well, probably better than maybe some others would have,\" Bazeley told stuff.co.nz.\n\nPayne, 32, has described the sudden fame as \"pretty crazy\" but has continued focusing on football as New Zealand prepare for their World Cup campaign.\n\n#### Could Tim Payne meet the influencer behind his viral rise?\n\nThe online phenomenon may soon lead to a face-to-face meeting between Payne and Scarsini. The Argentine influencer said he planned to travel to Florida to attend New Zealand's warm-up match against Haiti in Fort Lauderdale on Tuesday.\n\n\"Guys tomorrow is the day,\" Scarsini posted.\n\n\"Let's go watch Tim's game v Haiti and then we're going to meet him! Thanks to all who made it possible.\"\n\nThe possibility of the pair meeting has added another chapter to a story that has captured football fans across multiple countries. Scarsini's campaign has transformed Payne from a relatively unknown international player into one of the most talked-about footballers on social media.\n\nPayne's new celebrity status has also given him a larger online audience than the rugby-obsessed nation's famous All Blacks team. He now boasts roughly one million more followers than New Zealand's rugby giants.\n\n#### How has Tim Payne's fame affected the New Zealand squad?\n\nThe viral fan club has become a regular topic of conversation at New Zealand's World Cup training camp in Florida. According to Bazeley, teammates have embraced the situation and frequently joke with Payne about his unexpected rise to online stardom.\n\n\"The players talk about it. I can hear the banter they're having with Tim, and I think it's amazing,\" said Bazeley.\n\n\"Putting Tim up on a pedestal like that was really cool and probably not something that he, or anyone, expected.\"\n\nThe coach admitted he remains unsure where the phenomenon might eventually lead.\n\n\"I don't know where it ends or where it leads to, or what that world really involves. I try to stay off that, as most coaches do.\"\n\n#### Why are fans comparing Tim Payne to Messi and Maradona?\n\nThe World Cup-bound defender has become the subject of countless tongue-in-cheek comments online, particularly from Argentine supporters. Many have jokingly placed Payne alongside some of football's greatest names.\n\nNew Zealand enter the tournament as the lowest-ranked team in the competition, which begins next week across Mexico, the United States and Canada. Yet Payne's social media popularity has made him one of the most recognisable members of the squad.\n\nOne comment on Payne's latest Instagram post summed up the mood among supporters: \"Messi, Maradona, Tim.\"\n\nThe post attracted more than 66,000 comments, many written in Spanish, and received 2.1 million likes. With New Zealand's population standing at around 5.3 million, another million followers would see Payne's audience almost match the number of people living in his home country.",
  "title": "'Messi, Maradona, Tim': NZ footballer's viral fan club hits 4 million"
}