Tessa Lee, Sports journalist reporting on global leagues since 2021.
Socceroo Kai Trewin has emerged as an unexpected social media success story after gaining almost 100,000 Instagram followers in the wake of Tim Payne's remarkable rise to global attention. The Australian defender experienced a rapid increase in followers after online creators launched a campaign positioning him as a counterpart to New Zealand defender Payne, whose popularity has exploded during the World Cup. The trend highlights the increasingly unusual ways football fans are engaging with players during major tournaments.
Trewin began the week with around 3100 followers before seeing his numbers increase dramatically within hours.
By Tuesday, the 25 year old had surpassed 102,000 followers following a wave of online support.
Tim Payne phenomenon creates unexpected attention
The social media movement began when Argentinian football content creator Valen Scarsini, better known as El Scarso, launched a campaign encouraging fans to support New Zealand defender Tim Payne.
Scarsini described Payne as the least known player at the World Cup and urged followers to help turn him into a tournament hero.
The campaign quickly expanded far beyond expectations.
Payne's follower count has now surpassed 4.6 million, transforming the Wellington Phoenix defender into one of football's most unexpected online stories.
The popularity surge has become so significant that Payne now has more followers than New Zealand cricket captain Kane Williamson and even the All Blacks rugby team.
A song titled No Payne No Gain has also gone viral as the movement continues growing.
Spanish creator sparks Trewin campaign
Attention then shifted toward Australian defender Trewin after Spanish creator RubikayTV suggested there was another player with even lower recognition.
The creator proposed creating a World Cup rivalry between Payne and Trewin.
In translated comments shared online, RubikayTV argued that if Payne represented Lionel Messi, then Trewin could become Cristiano Ronaldo.
“So, in this parallel universe, if Tim Payne is Messi, why not make Trewin Cristiano Ronaldo and create one of the rivalries of this World Cup?”
The concept quickly gained traction online.
Between Monday night and Tuesday morning local time, Trewin's follower numbers increased dramatically.
The speed of the growth surprised many observers and turned the Australian defender into another unexpected beneficiary of football's online culture.
Trewin earning attention on and off the field
While the social media rise has been unusual, Trewin's selection for Australia's World Cup squad followed strong performances at club level.
The defender currently plays for New York City FC after moving from Melbourne City within the City Football Group system.
His form in Major League Soccer helped secure national team selection and placed him among Australia's defensive options heading into the tournament.
Football fandom continues evolving online
The rapid growth of both Payne and Trewin highlights how fan engagement around major tournaments continues changing.
Social media campaigns, creator communities and viral trends are increasingly shaping player profiles in ways previously unseen.
For Payne, what started as a small online campaign has developed into millions of followers and worldwide recognition.
For Trewin, a single content creator's suggestion created an overnight transformation.
Whether the follower counts continue climbing remains unclear, but both players have already become part of one of the more unusual stories surrounding the World Cup.