Some two weeks before the start of the World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico, the tournament already has a rising social media rising star: Tim Payne.
It all started when Argentinian influencer Valen Scarsini decided to find the least famous footballer on social media among those going to the World Cup.
The result was Payne - a New Zealand player who had less than 5,000 followers on Istagram. His most popular photos had racked up 200 likes.
But things changed after Scarsini asked people to follow Payne on Instagram, like his posts and support him at the World Cup. In one day, Payne reached more than 1.5 million followers.
He found out about the project due to the many notifications he started receiving on the social media platform.
"Muchas gracias," he said in a video posted on Thursday evening.
"Thanks to you Valen. It's been pretty crazy. Just wanted to express that I'm very grateful represent my country in this World Cup and appreciate all the love from all around the world."
New Zealand are playing at a World Cup for the third time. In Group G, they will face Iran, Egypt and Belgium.
