Story by Manu de Juan,Calum Roche
Last Sunday, reports circulated in media outlets around the world about Kylian Mbappé’s relationship with Nike, the brand that has sponsored him since he was eight. The rumor was based on comments posted on social media by Thibaud Vézirian, a journalist who specializes in French soccer, claiming that the Real Madrid forward had ended his relationship with the US company and was preparing to join another sponsor few would have expected: “The deal is being finalized… A major change.”
Those reports emphasized that Mbappé’s agreement with Nike had expired on July 31. But that clearly does not appear to be the case: the Frenchman is still featured on the brand’s website promoting his Mercurial Superfly cleats, while just yesterday he had five stories on his Instagram account, three of which were related to the launch of his new cleats.
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So it seems fairly safe to say that Mbappé’s commercial relationship with Nike is not over. Players whose deals with brands have expired are often seen wearing completely blacked-out cleats, usually their existing footwear painted over to avoid promoting the company while no renewal agreement is in place. That is not the case with Mbappé, who was enthusiastically promoting his new cleats on social media yesterday.
However, in France the reports have been interpreted as a sign that Mbappé’s 19-year relationship with Nike may not currently be at its strongest. They have also been viewed as a possible negotiating tactic ahead of a future renewal. There are few certainties, but there is one: right now is hardly the time for Nike to jump off the Mbappé bandwagon.
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That is especially true in France, where his image has received a major boost following the World Cup. The previous two years had not been so straightforward for Mbappé, amid certain disagreements involving the national team and Didier Deschamps, as well as a perception that he had prioritized Real Madrid at times.
At the World Cup, however, his performances helped him win back the affection of his compatriots. He led France to a fourth-place finish and scored 10 goals, making him the leading scorer in World Cup history.
For all those reasons, the idea of Mbappé ending his relationship with Nike is seen as almost unthinkable in France. His other major sponsorship deals are with watchmaker Hublot, eyewear brand Oakley and French fashion house Dior.
