Mbappé leaves Nike for On, the Swiss brand also recruiting Thierry Henry

Kylian Mbappé is breaking with Nike and committing to On, the Swiss brand founded in 2010, which is thus announcing its official entry into football. The Real Madrid striker and captain of the France national team becomes one of the faces of the equipment manufacturer based in Zurich, alongside Thierry Henry, appointed director of football for the brand.

Long specializing in running and tennis shoes, On is making a major strategic leap by partnering with the most high-profile player in world football. The brand notably counts Roger Federer among its shareholders — the Swiss tennis legend had himself left Nike at the end of his career to join On, tracing a path that Mbappé is now following.

The Frenchman’s role goes beyond a simple ambassadorship. According to the brand’s official statement, Mbappé “will integrate his elite-level expertise into the development and testing of future football shoes and apparel”, while becoming “global ambassador for On, extending the partnership beyond football to encompass movement, performance and contemporary design”.

Mbappé justified his choice by emphasizing the creative dimension of the project: “From the start, what attracted me to On was the possibility of building something completely new together, which will help shape the game of tomorrow. We have a shared dream, and this is just the beginning.”

For Nike, the break represents a considerable loss. The American equipment manufacturer had supported Mbappé since his professional debut and had progressively made him one of its main flagship names in football. 2018 World Cup champion and holder of the record for goals in the World Cup final phase with 22 goals, the Frenchman occupied a central place in the brand’s commercial strategy on a global scale.