McDonald's Said "Ok, Deal" and Now Tim Payne Has His Own Cup

When McDonald's replies to your comment with two words and then actually delivers, you have done something right. That is exactly what our creator El Scarso pulled off, landing Tim Payne his own McDonald's cup off the back of one very cheeky request.

Who is El Scarso?

Valen Scarsini, known online as El Scarso, is a football creator with a talent for pulling forgotten players out of obscurity. He had already lifted a fifth-division Liechtenstein side and a little-known Central American forward from a handful of followers to hundreds of thousands.

Ahead of the 2026 World Cup he set himself a bigger challenge. He went through all 48 squads to find the player with the smallest social media following, and he landed on New Zealand defender Tim Payne.

The idea that went viral

El Scarso posted a simple question to his audience. What if the World Cup had one player everyone could rally behind, whatever their nationality?

He asked his community to get behind Payne, and they did. A defender with around 4,700 Instagram followers climbed to nearly six million in a matter of days. El Scarso's original video passed 18 million views.

The comment that got the McDonald's cup

McDonald's had launched a World Cup range of nine collectable cups featuring football icons like David Beckham and Lamine Yamal.

El Scarso wanted one more name on that list. He tagged McDonald's and asked them to put Tim Payne on a cup.

McDonald's replied with two words: "Ok, deal." El Scarso reposted it with a line of his own, "Told u i got this."

A comment thread that went global

The exchange did not stay in one market. McDonald's shared it across its global account and its Argentina, Spain and New Zealand pages, and Payne now features on a McDonald's Argentina collectable cup.

That is the reach one El Scarso post can generate. A creator, an idea, and a brand saying yes in public.

Why this matters for Double Tap

This is the kind of work we love representing at Double Tap. El Scarso did not chase a brand deal. He built a movement, and the brand came to him.

It started with a question about who fans could rally behind, and it ended with McDonald's on board. That is what happens when the right creator points at something and the internet follows.