On signs French football star Mbappé, delivering another knock for Nike

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French football star Kylian Mbappé has signed a new sponsorship deal with sportswear brand On, following the end of his roughly 20-year relationship with Nike.

The Swiss-based company announced Friday that Mbappé will become a global ambassador for On and “work directly with On’s product teams” on footwear and apparel. This marks a significant entry for the company into the growing football apparel space that has long been dominated by Adidas and Nike.

Mbappé, who at just 27 years old is the World Cup’s all-time goal scorer, will bring his “elite perspective” into the development and testing of future football products, including On’s Lightspray technology that makes shoes with the help of robots.

The length of the deal wasn’t disclosed, but an On spokesperson told CNN that the financial agreement includes both cash and equity components.

On was founded in 2010, but grew in recognition when Swiss tennis star Roger Federer became an investor in 2019. The brand, initially known for its running and marathon shoes, then expanded into training and tennis shoes. The company represents Ben Shelton, who was a finalist at this year’s US Open .

Signing Mbappé, who currently plays forward for Real Madrid, signals that On is looking to further encroach into its larger competitors’ territory.

During the recent World Cup, Adidas outfitted Spain and Argentina, both finalists, as well as manufactured the tournament’s balls. The German company recently reported record revenue, driven by sales of football jerseys during the month-long tournament.

Nike, however, has been less than fortunate: Its shares are hovering around a 12-year low as it deals with a series of problems that CEO Elliott Hill hasn’t been able to fix, including customers shopping at trendier brands like On.

On is planning to shake up the football category, writing in a press release that it’s “bringing a new energy to the culture that surrounds it.”

To do that, On also signed Thierry Henry, another French legend, as its new cirector of Football. It also expanded its relationship with Sydney Schertenleib, a Swiss soccer player that plays for FC Barcelona’s woman’s team.

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法国足球明星基利安·姆巴佩与运动服装品牌 On 签署了一份新的赞助协议，此前他与耐克长达约 20 年的合作关系已经结束。

这家总部位于瑞士的公司周五宣布，姆巴佩将成为On的全球品牌大使，并“直接与On的产品团队合作”，负责鞋类和服装的研发。这标志着该公司正式进军长期以来由阿迪达斯和耐克主导的蓬勃发展的足球服装市场。

年仅 27 岁的姆巴佩是世界杯历史上进球最多的球员，他将把他的“精英视角”带入未来足球产品的开发和测试中，包括 On 的 Lightspray 技术，该技术借助机器人制造鞋子。

交易期限尚未披露，但On公司的一位发言人告诉CNN，该财务协议包括现金和股权两部分。

On品牌创立于2010年，但直到2019年瑞士网球明星罗杰·费德勒成为其投资人后才声名鹊起。该品牌最初以跑步鞋和马拉松鞋而闻名，之后扩展到训练鞋和网球鞋领域。该公司旗下拥有本·谢尔顿，他曾是今年美国网球公开赛的决赛选手。

签下目前效力于皇家马德里的前锋姆巴佩，表明On正寻求进一步蚕食其规模更大的竞争对手的市场。

在最近的世界杯期间，阿迪达斯为西班牙和阿根廷两支决赛队伍提供了装备，并生产了比赛用球。这家德国公司近期公布了创纪录的营收，这主要得益于为期一个月的世界杯期间球衣的销售。

然而，耐克的运气却不太好：由于首席执行官埃利奥特·希尔未能解决一系列问题，耐克的股价徘徊在 12 年来的最低点附近，其中包括顾客转向 On 等更时尚的品牌购物。

On 计划彻底改变足球领域，并在新闻稿中写道，它“将为围绕足球的文化带来新的活力”。

为此，On公司还签下了另一位法国传奇球星蒂埃里·亨利，担任其新的足球总监。此外，该公司还扩大了与效力于巴塞罗那女足的瑞士足球运动员悉尼·舍滕莱布的合作关系。