Top News

He may not have created as much buzz on Instagram as Vozinha, but New Zealand defender Tim Payne had already become an online sensation before the Cape Verde goalkeeper and made an instant impact for Paraguay’s Olimpia with a goal on his debut last Sunday (2).

Argentine influencer Valen Scarsini had pointed out that Payne was the player in the World Cup sticker album who had received the fewest likes on that social network.

That soon sparked a campaign, and his following jumped from 4,700 to 5.5 million — a figure greater than the entire population of New Zealand — even before the World Cup got under way.

The attention around Payne helped pave the way for an unexpected transfer to Olimpia — the side set to take on Vasco in the Copa Sudamericana round of 16 — before the tournament had even begun.

He went on to start all three matches for New Zealand at the World Cup and also registered an assist.

His switch to Olimpia was then finalised, and he made his first appearance from the 69th minute in the league match against Rubio Nu.

And it was not just a debut appearance: in the 85th minute, he completed the scoring in the three-time Copa Libertadores champions’ emphatic win with a fine goal.

The decision to join Olimpia was also shaped by family considerations.

His wife, Michelle Peters, has Costa Rican roots, and the couple wanted their one-and-a-half-year-old son, Brooklyn, to grow up in a Latin American country.

Payne had signed for Blackburn at the age of 18, but he could not secure the visa required to remain in England.

He also spent time with the Portland Timbers in MLS before returning to football in New Zealand.

In total, he spent seven seasons with Wellington Phoenix before making the move into Paraguayan football.