Meet The World Cup Player Who Went From Least Known To Most Interesting Overnight

When an Argentinian commentator called New Zealand defender Tim Payne the “least known player” in the 2026 FIFA World Cup, millions of soccer fans acted as if it were a personal insult and acted on Payne’s behalf.

Payne has seen his Instagram following grow from less than 5,000 to more than 5 million since social media personality “El Scarso” called him the tournament’s least-known player in late May. The two have made amends in the time since then, though, with Payne meeting El Scarso earlier in June. Payne even gifted El Scarso a kit, and thanked him for the attention he’s received in a social media post. 

“The past week has been a crazy ride, but thanks to @elscarso for everything he has done for myself, my family and NZ football,” Payne wrote. “Great meeting you in person today mate.”

So, as Payne has quickly become one of the most followed players at the World Cup, here’s what you should know about the New Zealand defender. 

El Scarso’s comment about Payne actually might have come from a good place. Ahead of the World Cup, El Scarso said he wanted to find a player that would “unite us all.” In order to find that player, El Scarso said he scoured the social media accounts of every player set to play in the World Cup and tried to find which one had the fewest number of followers. 

“After analyzing them one by one, I found him. In Group G, in New Zealand, there is Tim Payne,” El Scarso said. “He really is the least known. He doesn’t even have 5,000 followers!”

A couple of days after El Scarso’s initial comment, Payne thanked the influencer in an Instagram post. 

“It’s been a crazy 48 hours, to say the least,” Payne said. “I just wanted to also express that I’m very grateful.”

Payne made his first cap for New Zealand’s senior squad in 2012, but he hasn’t been a mainstay during that time. The 32-year-old from Auckland, New Zealand, has 52 career caps for his country ahead of New Zealand’s opening matchup in the 2026 World Cup against Iran on Monday. 

Payne also has three goals during that span. His most recent goal came in New Zealand’s 7-0 win over Fiji in World Cup qualifiers, adding three assists. 

Payne has been a member of Wellington Phoenix in Australia’s A-League Men since 2019, recording 143 caps and four goals during his time with the team. He’s currently under contract through the 2027-28 season. 

Prior to joining Wellington Phoenix, Payne played for Eastern Suburbs AFC of New Zealand’s Northern League from 2016-19. He had a stint with the Portland Timbers’ reserve squad for a year in 2015-16 as well. 

Payne’s 5.8 million Instagram followers as of Tuesday afternoon is a pretty impressive number. However, that number lags a good bit behind some of the most-followed accounts in soccer. Cristiano Ronaldo is the most-followed soccer player on Instagram, holding 666 million followers as of Monday. Lionel Messi has 506 million followers.

Still, Payne has become a well-known name among soccer fans online and in New Zealand. He’s among the most-followed Kiwis on Instagram. His 5.7 million followers isn’t too far away from singer Lorde (11 million) as he continues to gain influence.