Big news in footwear last week. Mbappé, Nike's golden boy and football's golden boot, is leaving Nike to go to On. Listen, On's getting aggressive. They're tired of being Uncle Ned from Delray's airport shoe. Look at the collabs they’re doing. (Loewe, Kith, PAF)
But let's dig in a little bit. Sources say that Nike matched the base offer, but it was the equity that pushed Mbappé to On. He's at the cap table now. Where was Mbappé's agent when I had to re-up my contract at Complex? Money talks and checks are good, but equity is a different ballgame. How many people in your daily life, when you're going for a new job say, “Ask for equity”?
There's already been a little static. Mbappé whiting out the Mercurials kind of reminds me of the 1992 Barcelona games. Jordan put the flag over the Reebok logo. Nike responds, making a Nike By You cleat, all white. We like to see a little back and forth, don't we? It's healthy.
But where does Nike go from here? Erling Haaland became a household name in the World Cup. There’s Ronaldo's farewell tour. Vini Jr. Can Wemby, on a global scale, kind of make up for Mbappé leaving? We'll see. What do Lamine and Bellingham think? Has anyone WhatsApp'd them?
Soccer boots rely on comfort. On says it's committed to making the perfect boot for Mbappé. Is little Johnny from the Bay Shore Soccer Club going to be telling mom and dad, “I need the Mbappé Ons”? It's very interesting. They signed Roger Federer in 2019, gave him equity, and now it seems like they got their other ace. We'll see.
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