Just a few months ago, Tim Payne’s name was virtually unknown to soccer fans outside of New Zealand. Today, his jersey is being snapped up for thousands of dollars.
The story of the 32-year-old defender seems straight out of a movie. Payne arrived at the World Cup with just over 4,000 followers on Instagram and ended up becoming one of the biggest social media sensations.
Now, his rise continues in Paraguay, where a jersey he wore during his debut with Club Olimpia was put up for auction and quickly sparked enormous interest among fans. The bid has already surpassed 21 million guaraníes—equivalent to about $3,270—and it’s not over yet.
The Tim Payne Jersey Everyone Wants
The item causing a sensation is the jersey Payne wore during his official debut with Olimpia. The Paraguayan club decided to put it up for online auction a few days ago, and the response from fans was immediate.
The jersey also holds special sentimental value: it was worn during Payne’s first match with one of Paraguay’s most important clubs.
The defender had a dream debut on August 2 against Rubio Ñu in Asunción. He came off the bench and, just a few minutes later, scored a goal to help Olimpia secure a resounding 5-0 victory. So yes, in addition to being his first jersey with the club, it also holds the memory of a debut he’ll hardly ever forget.
Tim Payne and the Curious Origin of His Fame
The most striking thing about this story is that Payne wasn’t a global star before the World Cup. Payne had spent years playing largely out of the spotlight. Before representing New Zealand, he spent much of his career with clubs in his home country and Australia.
He even had a chance to play in England with Blackburn Rovers, where he stayed for two years. However, he was never able to play in a major match due to issues with his work visa. For seven years, he was also a member of the Wellington Phoenix in Australia’s A-League.
He was a professional player, yes, but not exactly an international celebrity. That is, until social media changed everything.
The influencer who turned Payne into an internet star
The story took an unexpected turn thanks to Argentine soccer influencer Valen Scarsini, known online as El Scarso. Scarsini decided to seek out the player he considered the “least well-known soccer player” in the World Cup.
Among so many famous names, he chose Tim Payne. At the time, the New Zealand defender had just 4,715 followers on Instagram. Then something happened that probably not even Payne himself could have imagined.
The influencer asked his more than two million followers on Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube to follow Payne, comment on his posts, and mention his name. Within days, the numbers skyrocketed.
Payne ended up with more followers than there are people in New Zealand
The soccer player’s popularity grew in a truly impressive way. His account surpassed 5.4 million followers—a figure even higher than New Zealand’s total population. Suddenly, that defender who had spent much of his career away from the spotlight became one of the most talked-about figures on the internet. The best part for Payne is that his digital fame ended up having an impact on his athletic career. His new army of followers followed him all the way to Paraguay.
Olimpia took a chance on Tim Payne
In June, Payne signed with Olimpia, one of the top clubs in Paraguayan soccer and the current national champion. The deal was for one year and marked the end of a seven-season stint with Wellington Phoenix.
His arrival in Paraguay marked a new chapter in a career that, until recently, seemed destined to remain out of the spotlight. But Payne surprised everyone once again.
A dream debut: A goal and a big win with Olimpia
On August 2, the long-awaited moment arrived. Payne made his debut with Olimpia against Rubio Ñu, starting the match on the bench. When he stepped onto the field, surely few could have imagined what was about to happen.
It took the defender just a few minutes to score his first goal for the club. Olimpia ended up winning 5-0, and Payne became one of the stars of a night that will go down in his personal history.
For his millions of new fans, it was yet another reason to celebrate. For Olimpia fans, it was a debut they’ll never forget. And for the club, a jersey that now holds special value.
An auction that keeps going up
The jersey signed by Payne went up for auction online and quickly reached astonishing figures. The bid had already surpassed 21 million guaraníes—equivalent to about $3,270—with the auction still open. Although the figure is far from the millions that some jerseys worn by superstars like Lionel Messi have fetched, the interest is striking given Payne’s brief stint in Paraguayan soccer.
In the end, it’s not just a jersey. It’s a memento of his debut, his first goal with Olimpia, and a story that began with just a few thousand followers and ended up turning him into a global internet celebrity.
“I want to give it to a true Olimpia fan”
Payne himself explained what the jersey means to him. In a video related to the auction’s launch, the soccer player made it clear that he fully understands what it means to wear Olimpia’s colors.
“I know exactly what it means to wear these stripes and play in this jersey, and that’s why I want to give it to a true Olimpista,” he said.
And that is perhaps the most special part of the story. Tim Payne isn’t just auctioning off a jersey. He’s putting a piece of a chapter he probably never imagined he’d experience into the hands of a fan.
From 4,000 followers to a jersey worth thousands of dollars
Tim Payne’s story demonstrates just how far the power of social media can go. In a matter of months, he went from having 4,715 followers to surpassing 5.4 million. He made it to the World Cup, became a viral sensation, signed with a historic Paraguayan soccer club, scored on his debut, and now one of his jerseys is already valued at thousands of dollars.
It’s not on the same level as Messi’s jerseys, which fetch millions, but it’s no ordinary jersey either. It’s a memento of a soccer player who went from being virtually unknown to much of the world to unexpectedly becoming one of the most intriguing names in international soccer. It all started with a simple question on social media: Who is the least-known player in the World Cup?
