Fifa World Cup: All Whites defender Tim Payne set to sign with Paraguayan side Club Olimpia

Payne became an overnight internet sensation last month, when Argentinian influencer El Scarso went on the lookout for the least famous player at the World Cup.

He jumped from around 4000 Instagram followers to 5.8 million.

Payne played in the All Whites’ 2-2 draw with Iran in their World Cup opener in Los Angeles and only spoke with New Zealand media after the game, where he discussed his rise in fame.

“All the support’s been overwhelmingly positive, which is a beautiful thing,” Payne said.

“Life obviously for me at the moment doesn’t change who I am. I’m just trying to focus on my football here with the All Whites and New Zealand Football and trying to put my best foot forward in terms of performance.”

Payne said he has enlisted the help of a community manager, something he never knew existed, to help him deal with the rise in social media popularity.

“It’s probably come at the right time in terms of I’m now 32 years old. I think I’ve matured a lot over the years, so I think I have the capabilities to deal with something like this,” Payne said.

“I’ve obviously got people now in place that are helping me out and helping me navigate it. It’s a very new world to me. So I’m very much learning, processing it all and trying to make the right decisions based off it.”

If the deal is confirmed, Payne would be the second prominent Kiwi to play club football in South America, following in the footsteps of Marco Rojas, who spent 18 months with Chilean club Colo-Colo.

Club Olimpia has won a record 48 Paraguayan top-flight titles, including this year’s recently completed Copa de Primera Apertura crown.

Payne might not be the only New Zealander who could make a high-profile move off the back of the World Cup.

Elijah Just, who scored both goals in the draw with Iran, has been linked with a move from Motherwell to fellow Scottish clubs Celtic and Rangers.

Click here to read article