Who is Tim Payne? How a little-known New Zealand soccer player became an internet sensation

With the World Cup around the corner, all eyes are on the soccer players about to take the field. A week ago, most soccer fans had no idea who Tim Payne was, but thanks to social media, the New Zealand defender has become one of the biggest stories heading into the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Thanks to Argentine influencer Valen Scarsini, millions of people on the internet collectively decided they were going to make a random soccer player famous, and it worked. Getty Tim Payne is one of the countries most reliable players So who is Tim Payne? Before becoming the internet's newest obsession, Payne . . .