Imagine wearing the same brand since you were seven. Now imagine walking away at the absolute peak of your powers. That’s exactly what Kylian Mbappé has just done.

In a move that has sent shockwaves through sportswear, the France captain and Real Madrid superstar has ended his two-decade love affair with Nike to sign with Swiss disruptor On.

And as reported by cbinews.tv, it’s not just a boot deal — it’s a power shift.

So, what actually happened?

On Friday, Mbappé announced it himself on social media, in classic Mbappé style, reflective, a bit poetic:

“I have followed this dream for as long as I can remember. Once again, it has led me to one of the biggest changes in my life. Now, I find myself surrounded by innovators who dream of the same things I do.”

On confirmed it moments later, saying Mbappé will be “at the heart of On’s football journey, uniting one of football’s defining players with one of sportswear’s most innovative brands.”

He won’t just wear the boots. He’ll help make them, working directly with On’s product teams on future footwear and apparel, and becoming a global ambassador beyond football into movement, performance and design.

If you’ve only ever run a Parkrun, you’ll know On as those trainers with the little holes in the sole.

The brand was founded in Zurich in 2010 by three friends obsessed with making running feel like running on clouds. It was niche. Then in 2019, Roger Federer walked away from Nike and bought a stake in On. That changed everything.

From running to tennis to now — football. It’s their first-ever step into the beautiful game.

And they’re not doing it quietly. Alongside Mbappé, On has also appointed Thierry Henry- yes, that Thierry Henry- as its Director of Football after a year working behind the scenes, and signed Barcelona Women’s rising star Sydney Joy Schertenleib. Their first-ever football boots are slated to launch in 2027.

For Mbappé, this is deeply personal. His relationship with Nike dates back to 2006, when he was just seven years old, kicking a ball in Bondy, a suburb of Paris. For a kid from the banlieues who idolised Cristiano Ronaldo in Mercurials, Nike was football. He was their golden boy for this summer’s World Cup, getting his own signature Mercurial editions.

To leave that at 27 tells you this isn’t about money alone. Reports in France suggest this is an equity-based, own-brand deal — Mbappé getting a stake and his own sub-label, a bit like the Federer model. If true, it rewrites how elite players do business.

Let’s be honest, Nike is wobbling. On, Hoka and other upstarts have been eating into its market share, and Nike’s US-listed shares are down almost 50% over the past year. Just months ago, they also lost Spain’s wonderkid Lamine Yamal to adidas.

For On, the impact was immediate; its US-listed shares jumped 5% in premarket trading after the announcement.

Nike’s response was gracious but telling: “We are proud of what we achieved together on and off the pitch. As he moves into the next phase of his career, we wish him continued success for what comes next,”.

For 30 years, football sponsorship was a two-horse race: Nike vs adidas. Puma crashed the party with Man City and Neymar. Now On is the first running-born brand to go all-in on football. It mirrors what happened in basketball when Steph Curry left Nike for Under Armour, a generational talent betting on an underdog to build his own empire.

2026-27: Mbappé will continue in his current Nike Mercurials until On’s lab is ready. Expect lots of testing, blacked-out prototypes in Madrid training.

2027: On’s first football boot officially launches, built around Mbappé. Henry will lead football strategy.

Source: cbinews.tv

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