ZURICH, Switzerland, September 19, 2026: Kylian Mbappé has ended a relationship with Nike that began when he was a child and joined Swiss sportswear company On, giving one of the fastest-growing brands in global sport its biggest football signing as it enters the world’s most commercially powerful game.
The Real Madrid and France captain will become a global ambassador for On and work directly with the company’s product teams on future football footwear and apparel. Thierry Henry has simultaneously been named On’s Director of Football, while Switzerland international and Barcelona player Sydney Schertenleib will also contribute to product development.
Financial terms have not been publicly disclosed. The wider significance is clearer: Mbappé is not joining an established football equipment giant. He is becoming the central athlete in a brand entering the category for the first time.
On confirmed the move in its official football launch announcement, describing Mbappé as being at the heart of its new football strategy.
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Kylian Mbappé Joins On: What Has Been Confirmed?
| Detail | Confirmed Information |
|---|---|
| Athlete | Kylian Mbappé |
| New Brand | On |
| Previous Brand | Nike |
| Previous Relationship | Dated back to 2006 |
| Mbappé’s Role | Global ambassador and product-development partner |
| Football Leadership | Thierry Henry, Director of Football |
| Additional Athlete | Sydney Schertenleib |
| Product Focus | Football footwear and apparel |
| Technology | LightSpray and other On performance technologies |
| Financial Terms | Not publicly disclosed |
Why Mbappé Leaving Nike Is a Major Sportswear Story
Mbappé’s relationship with Nike stretched back to 2006, long before Monaco, Paris Saint-Germain, Real Madrid, the World Cup or global superstardom.
That history made him far more than another player wearing Nike boots.
He became one of the company’s most recognizable football ambassadors during the period when Cristiano Ronaldo moved into the final phase of his career and a younger group of global stars began taking over football’s commercial landscape.
Nike repeatedly released signature versions of its Mercurial boots around Mbappé and placed him near the center of major international football campaigns.
His departure therefore carries symbolic weight even before the commercial value of the new agreement is considered.
Mbappé is also arriving at On from a position of extraordinary sporting visibility. He scored a hat-trick during Real Madrid’s 4-1 victory over Real Sociedad earlier this season and then scored again as Madrid opened their Champions League campaign with a 2-1 win over Inter.
On is not signing a player whose commercial peak sits in the past.
It is entering football with one of the game’s most productive and visible current stars.
On Is Building Its Football Business Around Mbappé
The partnership goes beyond conventional endorsement language.
On says Mbappé will work directly with its product teams, contributing experience from elite competition to the development and testing of football footwear and apparel.
That involvement is central to the company’s pitch.
On built much of its reputation in running around engineering-led products rather than around a huge portfolio of established team sports. It later expanded into tennis, where Roger Federer became closely associated with the brand’s international growth and product identity.
The Sports Encounter recently revisited Roger Federer’s career and wider sporting legacy following his Hall of Fame induction. His relationship with On provides useful context for the model the Swiss company has already used with globally recognizable athletes.
Football represents a considerably larger challenge.
Nike, Adidas and Puma have decades of experience in boot technology, team sponsorships, athlete relationships, retail distribution and football culture.
On is trying to enter that market without pretending it already has the same history.
Mbappé Says He Wants to Build Something New
The language around the partnership makes that challenger position explicit.
Mbappé said what attracted him was “the opportunity to build something entirely new together that will help shape tomorrow’s game.”
That statement matters because On is presenting the agreement as a development partnership rather than simply paying for visibility.
The company wants elite players to test, challenge and refine products before they become part of its broader football business.
For Mbappé, that offers a different type of commercial relationship after two decades with one of the world’s most established sportswear companies.
LightSpray Could Become On’s Biggest Technical Differentiator
On’s most distinctive technology may also explain why the company believes it can enter football without copying existing manufacturers.
LightSpray uses a robotic process to create a performance upper from continuously sprayed filament rather than assembling a traditional multi-part upper.
The company says the process reduces manufacturing steps and materials while producing extremely lightweight footwear.
On is now adapting that approach to football, where boot weight, touch, fit, stability and responsiveness can influence whether a product earns acceptance from elite players.
The company’s official LightSpray technology guide explains how robotics and material engineering are already being used in its running footwear.
The football challenge will be different.
A running shoe primarily deals with repeated linear movement and impact. Football boots must manage cutting, acceleration, deceleration, contact with the ball, traction on multiple surfaces and frequent changes of direction.
That makes Mbappé particularly useful as a development athlete.
Few forwards place greater demands on acceleration and high-speed movement.
Thierry Henry Gives On Football Experience It Did Not Have
Mbappé supplies current elite performance and global reach.
Henry supplies institutional knowledge of the game.
On says the former France and Arsenal forward has been working behind the scenes on the football project since late 2025, contributing to product development, athlete relationships and the broader positioning of the brand inside the sport.
His title, Director of Football, signals that the role is considerably broader than appearing in campaigns.
Henry understands both the performance and cultural sides of elite football. He played through an era in which football boots evolved rapidly from relatively simple equipment into heavily marketed technological products closely tied to individual stars.
He also spent his international career inside one of France’s most important generations, the broader history of which The Sports Encounter revisited in our feature on how France’s 2002 World Cup campaign unraveled after Zinedine Zidane’s injury.
On now has a former France superstar helping shape strategy and the current France captain becoming the face of the project.
Mbappé Arrives After Another Huge World Cup
The timing is especially valuable for On because Mbappé has just completed another enormous World Cup cycle.
France did not win the 2026 tournament, but Mbappé again emerged as one of its defining players.
He began with a decisive performance as France beat Senegal 3-1 and remained at the center of their attack throughout the knockout phase.
The Sports Encounter ranked him first during its assessment of the tournament’s leading players before the semifinals.
He ultimately finished the World Cup with 10 goals and won the Golden Boot, as detailed in our final ranking of the World Cup’s top scorers.
That matters commercially.
Sportswear partnerships become more valuable when athletes are consistently visible in the matches watched by the largest global audiences.
Mbappé has now spent multiple World Cups in precisely that position.
On Is Entering Football From a Position of Financial Growth
The move is ambitious, but On is not entering football as a small startup experimenting outside its core category.
The company reported second-quarter 2026 net sales of CHF 850.3 million, up 13.5% year over year on a reported basis and 21.6% in constant currencies.
Direct-to-consumer sales represented 45.7% of quarterly revenue, while global brand awareness reached approximately 30%.
Those figures come from On’s official second-quarter results.
The numbers help explain why football has become realistic.
Entering the sport requires large investment in research, athlete contracts, distribution, marketing and eventually team relationships. On’s running and tennis growth has given it a larger platform from which to attempt that expansion.
Mbappé provides instant credibility and attention that would otherwise take years to build.
The Bigger Challenge Is Turning Mbappé Attention Into Football Credibility
A superstar can make consumers notice a new boot.
He cannot make players trust it by himself.
Football equipment has unusually strong habits and loyalties. Professional players often spend years wearing variations of the same boot family, while amateur players associate specific brands with particular positions, styles and football identities.
On therefore faces a two-part challenge.
The first is technical. The products must perform.
The second is cultural. Footballers must begin seeing On as a football company rather than a running brand making football products.
Mbappé helps with the second problem immediately.
His involvement in product testing may help with the first.
Nike Is Losing Another Major Name to a Rival
Mbappé’s exit also fits a wider period of movement within football’s sponsorship market.
Spain star Lamine Yamal recently moved from Nike to Adidas, giving another rival one of the sport’s most commercially valuable young players.
Yamal’s profile has grown enormously following Spain’s World Cup victory. The Sports Encounter’s feature on how Yamal came of age during the 2026 World Cup examined why his influence now extends well beyond normal expectations for a teenager.
Nike still retains enormous football reach, including major national-team relationships and elite players.
Losing Mbappé does not erase that position.
It does show that football’s commercial hierarchy is becoming more competitive.
Established giants are no longer competing only with one another.
Newer brands with enough capital, technology and cultural credibility are beginning to target premium athletes directly.
Why Mbappé Is the Logical Athlete for On’s Football Launch
From a strategic perspective, the choice makes sense on several levels.
Mbappé is 27, not approaching retirement.
He plays for Real Madrid, one of the most globally visible clubs in sport.
He captains France.
He has already won a World Cup and continues producing elite tournament numbers.
His game is built around speed, acceleration and movement, qualities that align naturally with a company whose existing identity comes from performance footwear.
Recent club performances reinforce that position. Mbappé’s hat-trick against Real Sociedad and goal against Inter have kept him at the center of Real Madrid’s season as José Mourinho’s rebuilt squad begins to settle.
The commercial story therefore connects cleanly with the sporting one.
On does not have to explain why Mbappé matters.
It only has to prove that its football products can match the athlete representing them.
What Happens Next for On Football?
The immediate phase will focus on development, testing and athlete recruitment.
Mbappé, Henry and Schertenleib give On three distinct perspectives: an elite male forward at his peak, one of the most experienced former players of the modern era and a young women’s international already competing at Barcelona.
More signings are likely to determine how quickly the company can move from one superstar partnership to a recognizable football portfolio.
The technical side will matter just as much.
If On successfully translates LightSpray and its other engineering platforms into football footwear, the brand can enter the market with a genuine product story rather than relying entirely on Mbappé’s image.
That is the larger gamble behind this announcement.
Signing Mbappé guarantees attention.
What On does with that attention will determine whether September 2026 is remembered as a celebrity endorsement or the beginning of a serious new competitor in global football equipment.
Kylian Mbappé and On FAQs
Has Kylian Mbappé left Nike?
Yes. Mbappé has ended his long-standing relationship with Nike and joined Swiss sportswear company On.
How long was Kylian Mbappé with Nike?
Mbappé’s relationship with Nike dated back to 2006, giving the partnership a lifespan of approximately 20 years.
Which brand has Kylian Mbappé joined?
Mbappé has joined On, the Swiss sportswear company best known for its running footwear and growing tennis business.
What will Mbappé do with On?
He will serve as a global ambassador and work directly with On’s teams on the development and testing of football footwear and apparel.
Is On entering football?
Yes. On formally announced its entry into football alongside the Mbappé partnership.
What is Thierry Henry’s role at On?
Thierry Henry has been appointed Director of Football and will help shape product strategy, athlete relationships and On’s wider approach to the sport.
Who else is involved in On’s football launch?
Swiss international and Barcelona player Sydney Schertenleib is also involved and will contribute to product development and testing.
What is On’s LightSpray technology?
LightSpray is a robotic manufacturing process that creates footwear uppers from continuously sprayed filament, reducing conventional manufacturing steps and materials.
Did On disclose the value of Mbappé’s contract?
No. The financial value and length of the agreement have not been publicly disclosed.
Why is Mbappé important to On?
He gives the company immediate global visibility, elite football credibility and direct performance input as it develops its first generation of football products.