Andrew Rizzo Roger Federer, you’ve got company. Eight years after losing the tennis star to On Running in a move that helped turn the Swiss sportswear brand into a legitimate competitive force, Nike is once again watching one of its biggest stars walk out the door.
Football star Kylian Mbappé, a Nike athlete since he was just eight years old, has signed with On in a move that marks the brand’s entrance into football, On Running announced today in a press release. Arsenal and France legend Thierry Henry has been named On’s new Director of Football, and it’s widely suspected that he played a significant role in convincing Mbappé to leave Nike when his contract expired earlier this summer.
It’s not a stretch to call this one of the biggest athlete sponsorship shake-ups in recent memory, putting it in the same conversation as Kobe Bryant’s move from adidas to Nike, Steph Curry’s move from Under Armour to Li-Ning, and, of course, Federer’s move from Nike to On. For Nike, particularly those who worked with Mbappé from the earliest stages of his career, this is a significant loss. The Swoosh invested heavily in the French star, making him the face of multiple football campaigns and producing countless PE cleats bearing his name along the way.
For On Running, meanwhile, it’s a major statement of intent. Mbappé and Henry will look to apply the same formula to football that helped On establish itself in running, working closely with a highly selective lineup of elite athletes to rethink product around the specific demands of the game.
“From the beginning, what drew me to On was the opportunity to build something entirely new together that will help shape tomorrow’s game,” says Kylian Mbappé. “I want to bring my experience and perspective into what we create, push what’s possible through innovation, and always stay true to the joy of football. We have a shared dream, and this is only the beginning.”
It’s probably far too early to get technical about the footwear, but On’s press release does specifically call out its LightSpray technology, noting that the brand is now adapting the platform to the specific demands of elite football. Football boots, perhaps more than any other category of footwear, take considerable time to develop and perfect, so it will likely be a while before any sort of signature product comes to light.
On has, however, cleverly worked to “unveil” Mbappé in On football boots in the launch trailer for EA Sports FC 27 (embedded below). Rest assured we’ll stay on the Mbappé beat as the partnership begins to take shape.
