Two months ago, New Zealand player Timothy John Payne, 32, could not have imagined that it would be difficult for him to walk through the central streets of Asunción or enter a shopping center in the capital of Paraguay without being recognized amid shouts of joy. At every step he takes, he finds fans surrounding him and asking for selfies and autographs. He willingly complies until fatigue overcomes him. “I’m sorry! Thank you very much!” he says as he tries to move away with an awkward smile, asking the guards to help him escape from harassment he has yet to learn to face.
Until the start of the World Cup, Payne enjoyed anonymity that he lost overnight. Thanks to a viral social media campaign, he went from having fewer than 5,000 followers on Instagram to surpassing five million in a few days. His newly acquired popularity put the spotlight on him during the international competition and later served as a springboard to sign with Club Olimpia, one of the two most popular football teams in Paraguay, along with Cerro Porteño.
On Sunday, July 12, when he landed in Asunción, a group of Olimpia fans eagerly awaited him at the airport, as if he were Leo Messi. The player arrived accompanied by his wife, photographer and wedding organizer Michelle Peters, of New Zealand father and Costa Rican mother, who speaks Spanish well and acts as translator for her husband. They brought their one-year-old baby with them.
The Olimpia directors tried to protect his privacy and avoided revealing the location of the footballer and his family’s new home, but it was in vain. Michele herself took care of showing the place by posting various photos on her Instagram profile, revealing that it is a luxurious apartment in a building in the Corporate Axis of Asunción, in the Ycua Satí neighborhood. In one of the images, their little son is seen from behind, in front of a tall window, looking very closely at the recognizable tower of Paseo La Galería, one of the most modern shopping centers in the city. In the same area are luxurious hotels like the Sheraton or the busy Del Sol shopping mall, along with exclusive shops, cafes, and restaurants.
On Monday, July 13, Olimpia president Rodrigo Coto Nogués introduced Tim with a photo session where both posed with the number four jersey worn by the player. “Since the World Cup with New Zealand, ready to start his journey with the jersey of the only great one. Welcome, Tim!” was the official greeting. “Happy to be here,” Payne replied in Spanish.
That same day, the New Zealander was introduced to Argentine coach Pablo “Vitamina” Sánchez and the rest of his teammates and began a rigorous training routine.
@trecetv.py ⚪⚫️ Franjeada party for the first victory and Tim Payne’s dream debut! 🇳🇿⚽️ Joy took over the Olimpia fans after the Decano’s resounding victory and they experienced an unforgettable day with Tim Payne’s debut including a goal #TreceDeportes #SiempreConectados
♬ original sound – Trece
Adapting to the team’s football rhythm has not prevented Payne from accompanying his wife to visit shops, restaurants, and cafes and on getaways around the area, such as to Lake Ypacaraí, 47 kilometers from the capital. A series of photographs shared by Michelle on her account document the outings.
“Exciting, overwhelming”
“Looking back, it’s incredible to think about everything that happened in just 30 days: two round trips to the American continent, packing and moving to a new country, and somehow now calling Paraguay home,” wrote Michele, who described the change as “exciting” and “overwhelming.” “Bring on all the barbecues, chipa guazú, mbejú, and medialunas pleaseee…,” added Michele, imitating the language of the young “chetos” from Asunción.
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On July 7, still without Payne’s participation, Olimpia faced Club Libertad and lost one to zero. On the 29th, they played another match against Club Nacional and lost two to zero. Payne helped break the losing streak. On August 2, he debuted in the 69th minute against Rubio Ñu and with a right-footed cross shot scored the goal that sealed his team’s resounding 5-0 victory. It was perhaps the goal he couldn’t score in the World Cup, the one he had been waiting for all his life, the one broadcast on thousands of screens worldwide.
“Overwhelming!” headlined the sports supplement cover of the Última Hora newspaper in Asunción. “Welcome to the Jungle, Tim!” greeted the ABC Color newspaper.
Santiago Riquelme, head of sports at Última Hora, says that “Tim Payne’s football debut at Club Olimpia was great, contrary to what many assumed or expected” and considers it a great acquisition for Uruguayan football. “In twenty minutes Payne did more than several starters. He scored a great goal and showed his quality,” Riquelme noted.
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Writer and journalist Hugo Vigray, one of the Paraguayan intellectuals most linked to Club Olimpia, shares this reflection: “Tim Payne is the most successful expression of the power of social networks. He was born as a digital experiment, but his debut with a great goal for Olimpia ended up turning him into a football phenomenon.” Vigray praises the skill of Olimpia president Coto Nogués, also an entertainment businessman, for reading the opportunity and signing Pyne: “Coto saw a social media phenomenon, backed by a football career that included a stint at Blackburn Rovers and other clubs, and built a brand operation.”
According to Vigray, the goal “legitimized him with the fans” and the first 8,000 jerseys with the number four and Payne’s name sold out in a few hours. “With his arrival, two new sponsors joined. After Sunday’s goal, three to four more brands approached. Then there is the global brand exposure of Olimpia. It is the most viewed goal of the weekend worldwide,” highlights Coto Nogués.
The “Payne phenomenon” and “paynemania” have extended to music. Argentine musician Che soy Juan had composed a cumbia dedicated to Tim at the World Cup, in which his wife Michelle appears in a video, singing it in the car. “They are geniuses, I haven’t stopped singing it and laughing at all the comments! Tim will never understand Latin American humor, but that’s what he has me for. Thanks for adopting him Latam, and giving him so much love. They take good care of him,” she posted. After Tim’s arrival in Paraguay, Che soy Juan doubled down with another cumbia, which has already become a hit in bars and clubs in the country.
The lyrics say: “From New Zealand non-stop to Asunción / it’s Tim Payne arriving at the three-time champion Decano / number 4 on the back, black and white the heart / all the franjeada always full of hope / let’s all go together because we have to win / with Tim Payne who owns the entire flank / because this team is the greatest there is / it’s the King of Cups, it’s the king of Paraguay…”. Payne will play his second match this Saturday and has a contract until December 2027, enough time to know if the newly started romance consolidates or not.
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