From the least-known World Cup player to the best-known club in Paraguay, the journey continues for Tim Payne.
Argentine influencer Valen Scarsini, known online as El Scarso, launched a campaign to make the New Zealand defender with fewer than 5,000 Instagram followers famous. Fans answered the call, as the 32-year-old defender racked up millions and millions of followers from Latin America and beyond.
Now, Payne will play next door to Argentina, with Paraguayan club Olimpia announcing Thursday, June 18, that it has signed the defender from A-League club Wellington Phoenix.
“To the whole LATAM community, especially @elscarso, who’ve been part of this incredible journey, muchas gracias, this one’s for you too,” Payne wrote on Instagram, where he now has 5.9 million followers. “I’m grateful for the opportunities football has given me and I’m excited for what’s ahead, but right now my focus is on representing my country at the World Cup.”
New Zealand returns to action June 21 against Egypt. Payne played 77 minutes of the country’s opener, a 2-2 draw with Iran.
What other famous player has Club Olimpia signed?
It is not the first quirky signing in Olimpia history. The team added former Arsenal and Man City star Emmanuel Adebayor to help its Copa Libertadores campaign in 2020, though the Togo international played just four total matches for the club because of pandemic-related complications.
Paraguay’s league returns to action in late July, and Olimpia will play in Copa Sudamericana action, South America’s second-tier club championship, in August.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Viral World Cup star Tim Payne signs with Olimpia in Paraguay
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