Why did Kylian Mbappé opt for Nike boots once more? Covering the Swoosh

All eyes were on Kylian Mbappé for the Madrid derby between Atlético and Real. They would have been anyway, but the attention intensified exponentially following the confirmation of his move to On after 25 years with Nike. The news of Mbappé signing with the Swiss brand, becoming the very first athlete of its football division, spread around the world within hours. The level of attention was such that, even during the warm-up, every one of the French forward’s movements was closely scrutinised to see whether he would step onto the pitch at the Metropolitano wearing a pair of On boots. Things, however, went differently.

Why Mbappé wore Nike Mercurial boots in the Madrid derby

Mbappé wore a pair of Nike Mercurial Superfly 11 whiteouts, with the Swoosh cleverly concealed to make it disappear into the upper. On one hand, it was surprising, if only because after the huge media coverage surrounding the announcement, there could hardly have been a better moment for On to debut its first-ever football boot. At the same time, it was a scenario we could have seen coming.

Footballers, at any level, never wear a pair of boots for the first time in an actual match. It was therefore difficult to imagine Mbappé, in one of Real Madrid’s biggest games of the season, stepping onto the pitch in a model he had not yet fully familiarised himself with. For a player whose speed is one of his defining qualities, having the right feel underfoot and maximum comfort is essential.

On’s football journey has only just begun

In fact, Mbappé himself had fuelled the curiosity by wearing a pair of On boots throughout the entire final training session ahead of the derby, once again in an all-white colourway. It was probably the exact same model that had been leaked in the new version of FC 27 a few hours earlier, with the only difference being the black logo placed on the toe.

This leads to a second consideration: On’s journey into football has officially begun, but the project does not yet appear to have reached a stage where a completely new boot can be brought onto the pitch for a game of this magnitude. It is, of course, only a matter of time — the time needed to bring LightSpray, the technology with which the Swiss brand has transformed running, into football and use it to challenge everything we think we know about football boots.