Kylian Mbappe has ended his long-standing partnership with Nike to become the face of Swiss sportswear company On as it makes its first move into football boots. The Real Madrid striker's Nike contract expired this summer, and he has now signed with On instead of any of the established football brands such as Adidas or Puma, or newer players like New Balance and Skechers.
The Athletic reports that Mbappe has been given equity in On, though the financial terms of the deal have not been disclosed. On declined to comment on that detail.
Thierry Henry, the former France and Arsenal forward, has been working secretly for On as its Director of Football since 2025 and is understood to have played a part in persuading Mbappe to make the switch once his Nike deal ran out.
In a statement issued on Friday, On said Mbappe "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." The company added that he "will work directly with On's product teams, integrating his elite perspective into the development and testing of future football footwear and apparel," and that he will also serve as a global ambassador for the brand beyond football.
Mbappe himself said: "From the beginning, what drew me to On was the opportunity to build something entirely new together that will help shape tomorrow's game, 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."
On also confirmed an extension to its existing deal with Barcelona and Switzerland player Sydney Schertenleib, who joined the brand as an ambassador for training and lifestyle apparel in December 2025 and will now also be involved with football boots.
On founder David Allemann told The Athletic that the company's football boots will reach the retail market in 2027 as "premium" products, and that On is also targeting the women's game ahead of next summer's FIFA Women's World Cup. Mbappe, however, is expected to be seen wearing the new boots on the pitch within weeks.
Mbappe had been with Nike since 2006, when he was eight years old, according to his personal website. Nike had kept faith with him even as it trimmed its roster of sponsored players to concentrate on a smaller group of headline names including Mbappe, Cristiano Ronaldo and Erling Haaland.
Allemann framed the move as a statement of intent: "Football doesn't need another sportswear brand to do more of the same. Football needs new ideas and a challenge to what is possible. When we enter a sport, we want to be the brand of the future - through true innovation and contemporary design. With Kylian we have the perfect partner to dream what football can become."
How On built up to this moment
On was only founded in Switzerland in 2010, starting out as a running shoe brand before expanding into tennis. Roger Federer became a shareholder in 2019, a deal widely seen as the moment that lifted On's profile, and the company followed that with an IPO two years later that raised $746 million. According to the source reporting, On's 2025 financial results showed net sales of £2.73 billion, a 30 per cent year-on-year increase, with the stated goal of becoming "the most premium global sportswear brand." Football is now presented as the next stage of that expansion, and signing Mbappe away from Nike is described as an aggressive opening move into the sport.
Why the Mbappe deal stands out
Even with Federer as an investor, On has not previously landed a signing on this scale. Its biggest name to date has been Iga Swiatek, the six-time Grand Slam champion, who joined in a head-to-toe deal in 2023 alongside American Ben Shelton, then a 20-year-old outside the top 40 without a formal sponsor. Shelton later explained his own decision to sign with On by saying: "I didn't want to be one of 50 Nike guys... Obviously it was also a big draw with On having probably the biggest icon in the history of tennis -- you know, other than, like, Serena (Williams)." Mbappe's profile in football is considerably bigger than Shelton's was in tennis at the time, and unlike Swiatek's move from Asics, this deal takes one of Nike's most prominent football stars directly out of its core roster.
