Kylian Mbappé will not wear his new sponsor’s football boot this season. On, the Swiss brand better known for cushioned road runners and trail shoes worn by weekend joggers, has not made one yet.
The deal was announced on Friday, 18 September, and closes a partnership Nike says began when Mbappé was still in primary school. In its parting statement, Nike said his journey with the brand began when he was nine and had spanned “nearly two decades”.
On is not simply adding a face to an existing product line. The brand is launching a football category from a standing start, with cleats and licensed team fanwear planned around technologies borrowed from its running range. According to reporting on the boot programme, On’s first football boots are planned for 2027.
Henry has been building the project since 2025
Mbappé is not the first name inside the tent. Thierry Henry was appointed On’s Director of Football and has been working on the entry to football since late 2025. Barcelona midfielder Sydney Schertenleib, previously a lifestyle ambassador, was moved into the football division to help shape the women’s product programme.
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Mbappé’s own remit runs beyond the shirt. He will work directly with On’s design and engineering teams on football footwear and apparel, and will also serve as a global brand ambassador extending into “movement, performance and contemporary design”.
In his statement announcing the switch, Mbappé framed the move as a builder’s job rather than a bag pickup.
David Allemann, On’s founder and co-CEO, put the pitch in blunter terms.
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“Football doesn’t need another sportswear brand to do more of the same,” Allemann said, calling Mbappé “the perfect partner to dream what football can become”.
Analysts split on the football gamble
Wall Street is not unanimous. Evercore ISI framed the signing as a positive near-term catalyst for On, noting that football’s concentrated boot market behaves differently from the fragmented running category the brand grew up in. Jefferies was more sceptical, drawing a comparison to Under Armour’s much-hyped Stephen Curry basketball partnership and flagging the margin pressure of a low-margin, deeply contested football category.
On’s roster is not built purely on football. The brand has been tied to Roger Federer since 2019, and the tennis legend is a shareholder as well as a face. Adding the most-marketed footballer of his generation is a step up in scale rather than a change in template.
What Mbappé wears in the meantime is the open question. On’s cleats are still on the drawing board, and the first boots off that board are not due until 2027.
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