In a light-hearted social media misunderstanding, rapper T-Pain clarified that he is not a professional footballer after DoorDash mistakenly tagged him instead of New Zealand defender Tim Payne. The comical exchange occurred over the weekend when the food delivery service sent a series of posts regarding a World Cup game.
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DoorDash’s official X account (formerly Twitter) posted several messages that referenced the World Cup, including one that suggested T-Pain, known for hits like “Buy U a Drank,” had a significant role in the match, stating, “Ok everybody relax @TPAIN has a plan 🇳🇿⚽️.” T-Pain, however, quickly responded with a humorous clarification, revealing that he was occupied with his performance at the famous Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Colorado. “I’m playing dubstep at Red Rocks 😂 what exactly do you want me to do?” he quipped.
The confusion continued with another DoorDash post recommending the New Zealand team pass the ball to T-Pain. This prompted a bemused response from the rapper, who asked, “Who do you think you’re tagging??” As more posts were directed his way, including one that claimed, “@TPain you gave everything out there tonight. we saw it. 🇳🇿⚽️,” T-Pain reiterated, “I literally don’t play soccer.”
In a further attempt to steer the conversation back to reality, T-Pain wrote, “Are you all okay??? @DoorDash stop tagging me in these soccer posts.” Finally, on June 22, he delivered a tongue-in-cheek video wherein he surrounded himself with numerous food delivery bags, captioning it, “I do not play soccer. And I did not order all this s—!!! @DoorDash come get this man’s stuff #DoorDashPartner.”
In a playful response to T-Pain’s clarifications, DoorDash replied, “See you on the field! We’re rooting for you 🇳🇿⚽️.” While the food delivery service has not yet responded to inquiries from sources seeking further comment, the incident sparked laughter among followers and fans alike.
The real Tim Payne, meanwhile, has seen a surge in his profile following this mix-up, notably gaining hundreds of thousands of followers after influencer Valen Scarsini highlighted him as New Zealand’s “least-known” World Cup player back in May. Scarsini, known as elscarso, expressed on social media, “I looked at all the teams that play in the World Cup for the least-known player and, after analysing one by one, I found it.” His call to action resulted in a remarkable increase in Tim Payne’s social media following, skyrocketing from approximately 4,715 to a staggering 5.9 million on Instagram.
This intriguing mix of celebrity and sporting misidentification has entertained fans on social media, drawing attention to both T-Pain’s music career and Tim Payne’s athletic endeavours. Payne has now become a trending topic, with the unexpected celebrity boost presenting a unique opportunity for the footballer as he seeks to make an impact in the World Cup.
As the tournament continues, it remains to be seen how Payne will leverage this newfound popularity and whether T-Pain’s antics will have any lasting influence on his audience. For now, both personalities tread uncharted territory where sports meet music, leaving an indelible mark in both realms.