Kylian Mbappé Leaves Nike for Landmark Deal with On Holding

Kylian Mbappé has drawn a bold line under nearly 20 years with Nike, walking away from the American giant to sign a landmark deal with Swiss brand On Holding as it steps into professional football.

The Madrid forward had been a Nike athlete since he was eight. He grew up in the swoosh. From academy pitches to Monaco, Paris Saint-Germain and now Madrid, Nike backed his rise and pushed him to the front of its global campaigns. Alongside Cristiano Ronaldo and Vinícius Jr, Mbappé became one of the faces of the Mercurial line, the poster boy for the boots built for pure speed.

That era is over.

On July 31, his contract with Nike expired. The deal quietly ran out, but the relationship seemed to linger. Mbappé still appeared in Nike promotions, the brand still pushed his image across its channels, and the football world waited to see which way he would turn.

Now the wait is finished. The French international has confirmed a long-term partnership with On Holding, a company that made its name in running and is now determined to break into football.

“From the beginning, what drew me to On was the opportunity to build something entirely new together that will help shape tomorrow's game,” Mbappé said in the official announcement. “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 is not arriving in elite sport as a stranger. The brand’s most high-profile move before Mbappé came in November 2019, when tennis great Roger Federer joined as an investor and strategic partner. Federer went on to end his own long association with Nike, become a shareholder in On and front a signature product line that helped shift the company’s image from niche running specialist to global sports player.

Mbappé now follows a similar path.

For Nike, his departure closes a significant chapter. The brand supported him from his earliest days, then elevated him into a select group of stars with their own exclusive boots. Like Ronaldo before him, Mbappé saw his name stitched into limited-edition Mercurials, a symbol of his status as one of football’s most marketable figures.

Walking away after almost two decades is not just a personal decision; it reshapes the landscape of football marketing. Nike loses one of its most powerful young icons. On gains a generational forward to spearhead its entry into the game.

This is not a simple endorsement. The deal positions Mbappé at the heart of On’s football ambitions, giving him a direct role in shaping and developing the brand’s upcoming football collection.

The swoosh defined his rise. Now the question is simple: what will he build in Swiss-engineered boots of his own design?