Tim Payne, a full-back from New Zealand who became an internet celebrity during the 2026 World Cup, is very close to signing with Olimpia in Paraguay. The news was reported by Sky Sports, indicating that the Wellington Phoenix defender will move to South America following his national team’s participation in the tournament. Payne’s popularity unexpectedly skyrocketed before the FIFA event. The player, who had fewer than five thousand followers on Instagram, was identified by Argentine streamer Valen Scarsini as the least known athlete among all those listed in the official competition album. Following this discovery, Scarsini launched a campaign to increase the visibility of the New Zealand player. The initiative went viral, and Tim Payne’s profile surpassed 5.7 million followers, a number that exceeds the population of New Zealand (estimated at 5.3 million inhabitants). Olimpia itself seems to have confirmed the interest by posting an enigmatic message on social media platform X on Monday, the 15th, with a thumbs-up emoji and the New Zealand flag, thus fueling transfer rumors. 💪🏻🇳🇿 While his future is being decided, Tim Payne continues to be active for New Zealand. In their Group G debut, the team drew (2-2) with Iran in a match held in Los Angeles. Elijah Just scored twice for the Kiwis, while Ramin Rezaeian and Mohammad Mohebi found the net for the Iranian national team. The next opponent will be Egypt.
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