A DJ has raised eyebrows after getting a bizarre tattoo of viral World Cup “star” Tim Payne on his body.
DJ and music producer Juanka Cassane believes he may have the first ever inking of the New Zealand defender.
He posted a clip of himself getting the tattoo of the 32-year-old footballer’s face on the outside of his lower right leg on Friday (5 Jun).
READ MORE: Moment hapless fella falls through stage in botched marriage proposal
- Advertisement -
Below the portrait, he added the phrase: “No Payne, No Gain”.
The clip was set to the track “Tim Payne Cumbia” by Richai, whose lyrics include: “Watch out for Tim Payne at the World Cup, he’s the new Di María.”
Cassane, from Corrientes in Argentina, jokingly wrote: “First Tim Payne tattoo? Don’t have friends who are tattoo artists.”
The inking, done by local tattooist Iván, took around three hours, as reported by Whats The Jam.
Tim Payne, until very recently, was relatively unknown internationally, with only a modest social media following and no real global profile compared to football’s biggest names.
- Advertisement -
That changed when Argentine content creator Valen Scarsini, known as “El Scarso”, launched a playful experiment: pick the least famous player at the tournament and turn him into a viral sensation.
Once Payne was chosen, the internet took over.
At the time of writing, he had amassed around 5.5 million Instagram followers, compared to New Zealand’s population of 5.36 million.
- Advertisement -
Cassane said: “Just a few days ago, hardly anyone knew who he was. I thought it was something different and fun because most people tattoo figures like Messi.”
The DJ’s post eventually reached Payne himself, who shared it.
Cassane said: “We thought it was impossible that he would see it. When he reacted and shared it, we realised the scale this had taken on.”
He added: “Social media has massive reach. After this, I started getting messages and contacts from all over the country interested in my work as a DJ and producer.”
READ MORE: Influencer bitten on bum by dog while filming World Cup anthem dance
