Swiss sportswear brand On has signed football superstar Kylian Mbappé as it makes its first major move into the football market.
The partnership will see the France captain become a global ambassador for On, and work directly with its product teams on the development and testing of future football footwear and apparel.
The move also brought an end to Mbappé’s long-running relationship with Nike, which began when the footballer was nine years old. Financial details of the new agreement have not been disclosed, although On confirmed the deal includes both cash and equity components.
This partnership marks an expansion beyond the running category which established the Swiss brand. It may signal On’s ambition to build a position in a football market dominated by established players including Nike, Adidas and Puma.
, founder and CEO of On, said: “We enter football with deep respect for its rich heritage. We aren’t here to change why people love football; we’re here to celebrate it – and bring it back to the future and its essence: the player, the ball, and as little in between as possible. To do so, we will bring our own revolutionary LightSpray™ technology to the pitch.
“Shaping this new era through athlete co-creation, we are proud to partner with the seminal player of his generation, Kylian Mbappé. He joins a legend of the game – Thierry Henry – who has been working as our Director of Football behind the scenes since 2025, and rising Swiss talent Sydney Schertenleib.
“Together, they will work in partnership with us on product development and also to push the boundaries of where sport, innovation, design and global culture meet.”
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On’s LightSpray technology uses a robotic process to create a performance upper from a continuous sprayed filament. The company said the technology is being adapted for football with the ambition of creating lightweight and precise products.
The brand plans to launch its first football boots in 2027, with its approach centred on applying this performance technology and Swiss engineering to the demands of the sport.
Mbappé will play a role in that development process, bringing his experience of playing at the highest level directly into On’s product teams.
“From the beginning, what drew me to On was the opportunity to build something entirely new together,” Mbappé said.
The partnership follows On’s strategy of building long-term relationships with high-profile athletes, including tennis star Roger Federer, who became an investor and key collaborator with the brand.
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