Kylian Mbappé has ended one of football's longest and most recognisable sponsorship relationships, leaving Nike after almost 20 years to join Swiss sportswear company On. The Real Madrid and France captain had been associated with Nike since childhood and developed into one of the company's most important football ambassadors, but his long-term contract ended after the 2026 World Cup and the two sides have now gone their separate ways.
The move is much more than a conventional boot sponsorship. Mbappé will become a shareholder in On and work directly with the company as it enters football for the first time, helping develop products alongside Thierry Henry and other athletes. On plans to launch its first football boots commercially in 2027, making one of the world's biggest players central to an attempt to challenge Nike, Adidas and Puma in a market they have dominated for decades.
Why did Kylian Mbappé leave Nike?
There has been no public suggestion of a dispute between Mbappé and Nike. His existing contract expired after the World Cup, and both sides have spoken positively about their time together. Nike said it was proud of what the partnership had achieved and wished Mbappé well as he moved into the next stage of his career.
The clearest explanation for the change comes from Mbappé himself. Rather than simply becoming another athlete paid to wear an established company's boots, he has described the attraction of On as the opportunity to help build something new from the beginning. On is entering football as a major performance category and is giving Mbappé a role in developing the products and direction of that project, as well as an equity stake in the business.
That makes the deal fundamentally different from his old relationship with Nike. Mbappé is not only changing the logo on his boots; he is joining a company at the moment it is attempting to establish an entire football division.
How long was Mbappé with Nike?
Mbappé's relationship with Nike began in 2006, when he was nine years old, long before his professional debut with Monaco or emergence as one of the world's leading players. Over almost two decades he progressed from a promising academy footballer to the face of major Nike Football campaigns and eventually received signature versions of the company's Mercurial boots.
The partnership followed him through virtually every major stage of his career: Monaco, Paris Saint-Germain, his 2018 World Cup victory with France and his move to Real Madrid. Nike also made Mbappé increasingly important to its global football marketing as Cristiano Ronaldo entered the later stages of his career.
That history is one reason the move is so notable. Footballers regularly change boot suppliers, but very few end a relationship that began before their teenage years and continued through their entire rise to superstardom.
What is On?
On is a Swiss sportswear company founded in Zurich and best known for running shoes. It has expanded rapidly into other areas, particularly tennis, but until now football has not been one of its major product categories.
The brand already has a strong connection with another global sporting icon. Roger Federer invested in On after ending his own long relationship with Nike and remains a shareholder in the company. Mbappé will now also hold equity rather than acting only as a traditional sponsored athlete.
On's entry into football therefore follows a familiar strategy: working closely with elite athletes not simply to advertise existing products but to influence their development. The company says Mbappé's experience will be used in the design and refinement of its future football products.
How much is Mbappé's deal with On worth?
The exact financial value has not been disclosed. On has confirmed that the agreement includes both cash and equity, meaning Mbappé will receive conventional compensation while also owning a stake in the company. No figure has been released for either element of the deal.
That structure potentially gives Mbappé a different financial interest from a normal endorsement contract. Instead of receiving only a guaranteed sponsorship fee, part of the value of his agreement is connected to the company's future performance.
It also aligns his interests directly with On's football expansion. If the brand succeeds in establishing itself as a serious competitor in the global football-boot market, Mbappé could benefit not just as its leading ambassador but as a shareholder.
What boots will Mbappé wear with On?
On is preparing its first major football-boot launch for 2027. The company has already unveiled a prototype built around its LightSpray technology, which it previously developed for running footwear and is now adapting for football.
On describes the objective as creating boots with a more natural, barefoot feel while using athlete feedback throughout the development process. Mbappé, Thierry Henry and Switzerland international Sydney Schertenleib are among the players and football figures involved in testing and refining the company's products.
The precise retail model that will eventually be associated with Mbappé has not yet been detailed. What is clear is that he will be directly involved before On's football boots reach the wider market rather than simply joining after a finished product has already been created.
What role does Thierry Henry have at On?
Thierry Henry has joined On as its director of football, giving the company another globally recognised French football figure as it builds the new division. His role goes beyond appearing in advertising campaigns, with Henry expected to contribute football knowledge and experience to product development and the broader strategy.
Pairing Henry with Mbappé also gives On an unusual combination of generations. Henry brings experience from an elite playing career with Arsenal, Barcelona and France as well as coaching, while Mbappé provides direct insight from the modern game at its highest level.
For a company with little previous presence in football, recruiting both before launching its first full range suggests the project is intended to be considerably larger than a one-off signature-boot deal.
Is Mbappé now a shareholder in On?
Yes. Mbappé will receive an equity component as part of his agreement and become a shareholder in the Swiss company. The size of his holding has not been disclosed.
That places him in a similar broad position to Federer, although the details of their investments are different. For Mbappé, the arrangement provides an opportunity to attach himself to the growth of a company rather than simply licensing his image to it for a fixed term.
Athlete equity deals have become increasingly common as major sports stars look beyond conventional sponsorship income. Mbappé already has enormous commercial value, so acquiring ownership exposure to a growing sportswear company represents a different type of long-term partnership.
Why is losing Mbappé significant for Nike?
Nike remains one of the dominant forces in world football, but losing Mbappé removes one of the company's most recognisable active players. He had become particularly important to Nike's marketing as Ronaldo moved towards the final years of his career and was heavily featured during the 2026 World Cup.
The departure also follows another high-profile loss. Lamine Yamal left Nike for Adidas, while the company has faced greater competition from established rivals and smaller challengers attempting to take market share in football and other sports. Nike nevertheless retains major football relationships, including its long-term kit deal with France, which runs through the 2033/34 season.
It would therefore be an exaggeration to describe Mbappé's exit as a fundamental threat to Nike Football. The significance is more symbolic: one of Nike's most important individual ambassadors has chosen to leave an established market leader to help a newcomer build an entirely new football business.
Can On really compete with Nike and Adidas in football?
Breaking into the football-boot market will be difficult. Nike and Adidas together accounted for boots worn by more than 40% of players at the 2026 World Cup, according to data cited by The Guardian, while Puma remains another deeply established competitor. Previous challenger brands have often struggled to turn high-profile player endorsements into lasting retail market share.
On does, however, enter the market from a stronger position than a completely new sports brand. It has already established a global reputation in running, expanded successfully into tennis and built its identity around proprietary footwear technology. Adding Mbappé gives the company immediate football visibility that could otherwise have taken years to develop.
Whether consumers will actually switch boots is a different question. Much will depend on the quality of the product On brings to market in 2027 and whether the company can sign enough professional players to make its boots visible every weekend rather than only on Mbappé.
Will Mbappé still wear Nike with France or Real Madrid?
There is an important distinction between personal boot sponsorships and team kit contracts. Mbappé's individual partnership with Nike has ended, but the France national team remains supplied by Nike under a separate agreement. Real Madrid, meanwhile, have their own club equipment relationship independently of Mbappé's personal boot deal.
Players routinely wear boots from one company while their club or national team's shirts are manufactured by another. Mbappé can therefore represent France in a Nike kit while wearing footwear supplied through his own On partnership.
That distinction may become particularly visible given how closely Mbappé had previously been associated with Nike as both an individual ambassador and France's captain.
What does the deal mean for Mbappé?
The simplest interpretation is that Mbappé has exchanged the security of one of football's biggest established brands for a much larger role inside an emerging project. His Nike relationship began when he was nine and lasted through almost every important moment of his professional career, but his new arrangement gives him something different: ownership and influence over products that do not yet fully exist.
On's official football launch centres on the idea of co-creation, with Mbappé contributing his experience to the company's new boots alongside Henry and Schertenleib. That gives the Real Madrid forward an opportunity to shape a football brand rather than simply represent one.
For now, there is no evidence that the split with Nike was acrimonious. His contract ended, Nike publicly praised the partnership and Mbappé has framed the move as an opportunity to build something new. After almost 20 years with Nike, the biggest change is therefore not merely the company supplying his boots — it is the role Mbappé will have in creating what comes next.
Published by Patrick Jane
18.09.2026