New Zealander Tim Payne, a footballer used to developing his career away from the spotlight, has become one of the most striking stories in the lead-up to the World Cup thanks to a viral campaign started by Argentine Valentín Scarsini.
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Known as ‘el Scarso’, Scarsini chose him as the ideal candidate to become the “protagonist” of the World Cup by being considered the “least known” footballer among those called up for the event.
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The Argentine searched among the players called up for the tournament for the one with the fewest followers on social media and his investigation ended up pointing to Payne, who at the time barely exceeded 4,700 followers on Instagram.
The initiative went viral within hours and skyrocketed the popularity of the New Zealand defender, who went from being practically unknown outside Oceania to gathering a global community of more than 5 million followers just days before the start of the tournament.
And one day it happened. Tim Payne met Valentín Scarsini and they had a pleasant chat with a toast included.
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See this post on InstagramA post shared by Tim Payne (@timpayne__)
