Will players who go viral at the Football World Cup be able to benefit financially from this fame?

 

Will players who go viral at the Football World Cup be able to benefit financially from this fame?

 

The biggest event in the world of football, the FIFA World Cup 2026, is currently underway and fans around the world are talking about the performance of their favorite teams and star players.

Many players in the World Cup have not only become the center of attention on the field due to their outstanding performance, but their number of fans has also increased significantly on social media.

Cape Verdean goalkeeper Vozinha, 40, is among the few players who have gained extraordinary fame worldwide in just 90 minutes and his number of followers on Instagram has become more than that of NFL legend Tom Brady.

Vozinha’s outstanding performance against Spain in the group matches resulted in a goalless draw, which was a big upset against Spain, one of the strongest teams in the World Cup.

After the match, Vozinha's Instagram followers increased from 50,000 to 17.3 million, more than Tom Brady's 15.5 million.

Players like Vozinha could use the social media fame they've gained during the World Cup to gain financial benefits.

However, media expert Mike Serazio says that "such opportunities can be temporary." According to him, "it's a case of going viral, and as fast as it goes up, it also comes down."

Such a huge increase in the number of fans on social media can provide opportunities for brands to show off in partnerships and advertisements and get paid big.

A different way to achieve social media fam

New Zealand defender Tim Paine was named the ‘least known’ player by an Argentinian influencer before the World Cup. Valen Scarsini, known online as ‘Elscarso’, appealed to his millions of followers to help him increase Tim Paine’s popularity.

Tim Paine was also heavily involved in the campaign. He increased his activity on social media and was in constant contact with relevant influencers. In a few days, his Instagram followers grew at an astonishing rate, and their number increased from around 5,000 to almost 6 million. Tim Paine himself mentioned this extraordinary increase, saying that “his number of followers now exceeds the population of his native country, New Zealand, which is approximately 5.3 million.”

Unlike Cape Verde goalkeeper Vozinha, Tim Paine did not achieve this new fame through a performance in a match.

 

According to Mike Serrazio, a professor at Boston College who studies the relationship between media and sports, this trend is growing rapidly in the world of sports.

 

He added that “in the past five to ten years, there has been a trend of players whose fame is largely due to social media and promotional activities, rather than their actual playing abilities.”

According to Mike Serrazio, “Every player who reaches the national team has extraordinary talent, but in the past, a player had to be considered one of the best players to make a place in TV commercials or on the packaging of a product.”

He said that “now players do not need to rely on traditional media as much as they used to. They are using social media to grow their followers, sign deals with brands, increase income and benefit from their growing popularity.”

Will this fame continue after the World Cup?

According to Mike Serrazio, the way sports are broadcast is changing, with the focus shifting from long matches to viral clips and short videos.

“Your performance in the entire match is no longer as important as a memorable moment that goes viral on social media and is widely shared,” he said.

He added that “the viral moment has become more important and is now more important than the game itself.”

However, the real question is whether a player who gains millions of new fans during the World Cup can turn that fame into a permanent career outside the football field.

“You have a limited time to gain attention. Nobody knew the Cape Verde goalkeeper before and I don’t think people will remember him even after the World Cup is over,” Serrazio said.

He said big names like Messi, Ronaldo, Neymar and Mbappe will continue to sign deals with brands even after retirement. According to him, there are very few athletes who have been able to successfully use the fame they received from a single big moment in their later careers.

A prominent example of using the power of social media and the popularity it brings effectively is American rugby player Ilona Maher, whose popularity increased dramatically during the 2024 Paris Olympics. She runs her own podcast, is an ambassador for various brands, has modeled for Sports Illustrated and was also the runner-up on the TV program ‘Dancing with the Stars’. In 2025, she also won the award for Best Emerging Athlete.

According to Brooke Duffy, “There are opportunities for new stars who suddenly become popular on social media, but it is difficult to accurately estimate the income they will generate.”

He said that “there is no clear standard for compensation for sponsored posts, as is the case in traditional media, such as TV advertising.”

Duffy added that “there are also very few safeguards to determine appropriate income.” According to him, “it will be interesting to see how these football-related players adapt to the changing and uncertain economy of digital media.”

Currently, these viral stars of the World Cup are at the peak of popularity, but their future after the tournament will depend on how well they manage to keep their new fans engaged with them.