Overview
- The push began when Argentine creator Valen Scarsini identified Tim Payne as the World Cup’s least-followed player and urged followers to mass-follow him, triggering the surge.
- Payne’s Instagram rose from roughly 4,000 followers to hundreds of thousands in hours and topped four million within days, and he posted short videos thanking supporters and apologizing in Spanish.
- Major brands and sportswear firms noticed the spike, with social posts from companies and interest in sponsorships reported while Asics already listed Payne as an ambassador before the surge.
- Creators in other countries moved to replicate the tactic, and Spanish influencer RubikayTV drove Australian defender Kai Trewin’s account from about 3,000 to nearly 80,000 followers as of reporting on Tuesday.
- The episode shows how coordinated creator networks can manufacture rapid fame before a major tournament, reshaping players’ public profiles and raising questions about sustainability, player agency and commercial consequences.