Mbappé leaves Nike for On: Swiss brand announces full entry into the football market

One of the most recognisable footballers in the world has changed his sports partner after two decades of collaboration with Nike. Kylian Mbappé has joined the Swiss brand On, which simultaneously announced its full entry into the football market. The company plans to release its first boots in 2027, and it will be helped in building the new direction by another star of French football — Thierry Henry.

For On this is much more than a contract with a famous athlete. The brand, which grew on running shoes and then began to actively develop in tennis, is now trying to enter territory long controlled by Nike, Adidas and Puma.

The company officially announced the launch of On Football on 18 September. The central figure of the project is Mbappé — captain of the France national team and Real Madrid forward.

The Frenchman will not only be a global brand ambassador. On states that Mbappé will work directly with the teams creating future football products, share his experience and participate in their testing.

Almost 20 years with Nike come to an end

Mbappé had collaborated with Nike since childhood. The partnership began in 2006, when the future world champion was only nine years old, and he later became one of the main football faces of the American brand.

Now this long-standing relationship has ended. As Reuters reports, the financial terms of the agreement with On are not disclosed, but the structure of the deal includes both cash and equity components.

This means that Mbappé's relationship with the new brand potentially goes beyond a standard advertising contract. On has already taken a similar approach with Roger Federer, who became a partner and investor in the company in 2019 and helped it develop its tennis division.

Nike, after Mbappé's departure, said it was proud of the almost 20-year collaboration with the footballer and wished him success.

On starts with footballers, not finished boots

An unusual detail of the strategy is that at the time of the high-profile launch of its football division, On is still preparing its main product.

The brand's first football boots are planned to be introduced to the market in 2027. Until then, Mbappé and other athletes will participate in the development and testing of models.

Along with the French forward, Barcelona and Switzerland women's national team player Sydney Schertenleib has joined the project. On emphasises that the future line is being created simultaneously for men's and women's football.

The company plans to transfer LightSpray technology, which it has previously used in running models, to football footwear.

Its distinctive feature is an unconventional production of the upper part of the shoe. Instead of a classic construction from many parts, the material is formed by robotic application of a continuous fibre. This allows reducing the number of traditional seams, glue and individual structure elements.

Now On's engineers will have to adapt the technology to completely different loads — sharp accelerations, changes of direction, ball striking and constant contact with the pitch.

Thierry Henry gets the role of Director of Football

Mbappé was not the only high-profile figure in the new strategy.

Thierry Henry has been officially appointed as Director of Football at On. The former Arsenal, Barcelona and France national team forward had in fact been involved in the project even before its public launch.

According to the company itself, Henry had been working with On behind the scenes since late 2025, helping to shape both the product approach and the overall strategy of entering the football market.

His role includes work on products, athlete relations and the broader development of the football division.

Thus, On is gathering around the new business not just advertising faces. The company is trying to leverage the experience of active and former footballers already at the product development stage.

Why On needed football at all

On appeared in Switzerland in 2010 and initially specialised almost exclusively in running shoes. Over the subsequent years, the company turned from a small challenger brand into one of the notable players in the global sports footwear market.

One of the key stages of its expansion was tennis. The partnership with Federer helped On go beyond the runner audience and at the same time increased brand awareness among buyers of premium sports clothing and footwear.

Now the company is trying to repeat this manoeuvre in a significantly larger market.

Football remains one of the most valuable sports for equipment manufacturers. Contracts with stars, clubs and national teams give brands not only direct sales of boots and kits, but also a huge global audience.

However, entering this market is much harder than simply signing a famous player.

On will have to compete with Nike and Adidas on their turf

The football boot market has been controlled by several large companies for many years. Nike and Adidas sign the world's leading footballers, invest in clubs and national teams and have decades of experience in developing specialised footwear.

Puma also holds a solid position, while other major sports brands have so far found it difficult to seriously change the balance of power.

Therefore, Mbappé gives On something that a young market entrant would have had to build for years — instant recognition and trust of a huge football audience.

But the famous name also raises the stakes. By the time the boots are mass launched in 2027, the company will have to prove that it can offer not only an unusual design and a strong advertising campaign, but also a product that professional players are really willing to use on the pitch.

Why Mbappé's move is also important for Nike

For Nike, losing Mbappé is a significant blow to the brand's football portfolio. The Frenchman had been associated with the company since childhood and in recent years was among its biggest stars.

His departure also reflects a broader trend: new and fast-growing sports brands are increasingly competing with traditional leaders not only for customers, but also for athletes.

For On, the strategy seems the opposite of cautiously testing a new market. The company immediately placed at the centre of its football launch one of the world's most famous active players, brought in Henry to build the direction itself, and began developing footwear with the direct participation of footballers.

The first results of this bet will become clearer in 2027, when On football boots are due to hit the market. That is when it will become clear whether the brand can turn Mbappé's high-profile switch into real competition against Nike and Adidas — or whether football will prove to be a much more difficult market than running and tennis.

Based on materials from: On, Reuters, Financial Times.