FLORIDA: New Zealand footballer Tim Payne met an Argentine social media influencer for this first time, day after a viral video featuring the influencer propelled him to global online fame.
Valen Scarsini, a popular content creator from Argentine known online as “El Scarsso,”had urged his follower last week to support and follow payne, a relatively low-profile member of New Zealand’s FIFA World Cup squad.
The appeal triggered an unusual social media surge, with Payne’s Instagram following jumping from about 4,00 to 4.9 million within days.
The two met at New Zealand’s training camp in Florida, where Paine thanked Scarsini for the unexpected boost in attention and presented him with a national team jersey.
Payne said the sudden popularity had benefited both him and New Zealand football, adding that it had brought greater global attention to the team and the sport in his country. He said, however, that he would remain focused on his performance and would not change his approach or personality.
“I am still the same person,” he said, adding that his priority remains delivering strong performances for his country.
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Scarsini responded in a lighthearted manner, even inviting Paine to visit Argentina.
