, May 29 -- New Zealand defender Tim Payne has unexpectedly become a social media sensation after a football influencer encouraged fans to rally behind him ahead of the upcoming World Cup.

Argentinian influencer Valen Scarsini, known online as "El Scarso," pointed out Payne as one of the least recognized players in the tournament, which will be held across Canada, the United States and Mexico. He based this on Payne's relatively small presence on social media.

Earlier this week, Payne had about 4,700 followers on Instagram. But after Scarsini highlighted him, his follower count surged rapidly - growing by nearly 1,000 per minute and surpassing one million by Friday.

The sudden rise means Payne now has far more followers than New Zealan...