WATCH: Tim Payne meets Argentine man behind his 4.8M viral fame

It’s been one helluva week for New Zealand footballer Tim Payne, who’s suddenly gained millions of followers on social media, thanks to one Argentine influencer putting his name on the global map.

And now, the pair have finally met up together to break down the “crazy” rise in attention.

ICYMI - Influencer Valen Scarsini kicked off an online campaign to highlight the Football World Cup’s “least-known” player. After landing on our very own All Whites player Payne, things absolutely took off - and so did his Instagram following.

As of May 27, the New Zealand defender had just 4K Instagram followers. Now, a week later, he's boasting a whopping 4.8 million - and it’s still continuing to grow.

In a clip shared to Instagram this morning, Payne finally met the man behind it all.

“The past week has been a crazy ride but thanks to Valen Scarsini for everything he has done for myself, my family and NZ football,” Payne wrote alongside the video.

In the clip, Scarsini asked what Payne felt when he realised he’d gone viral.

“I didn’t know what to feel,” Payne said. “Because it’s so foreign to me.” He added he’s still “processing” the whole thing, but that it’s been “amazing”.

When asked if he ever imagined hitting 4 million followers, Payne said: “I didn’t imagine anything like this.”

“I don’t understand the scope of anything, you know. Even the first original [post], it was crazy just seeing that I got tagged in it. Then the next morning [seeing the numbers] and then it just didn’t stop.”

With the World Cup just around the corner, Scarsini asked how Payne is handling the sudden surge in attention.

“It’s obviously good for myself and New Zealand football too. It puts a light on us, which is a positive thing. But at the same time, for me, I don’t change. I’m still the person I am, so I just keep trying to do what I do, play football, and focus on performing for my country.”

Off the back of Payne’s viral moment, Scarsini also celebrated a milestone of his own - hitting one million followers.

To return the love, Payne gifted him a signed All Whites jersey with his #2 on it.

It really just goes to show the power of the internet, and how far people will go to show their support for an underdog.