On Signs Kylian Mbappé Ahead of 2027 Football Boot Launch
The Swiss sportswear company is pairing one of football’s largest personal brands with product co-development and a 2027 boot launch. Federer provides a company-specific precedent; the harder question is whether On can reproduce that model in a sponsorship market with much heavier category costs.
On has signed Kylian Mbappé to a multi-year partnership as it prepares its first performance-football products. Mbappé will work directly with product teams on footwear and apparel, while Thierry Henry, involved with the programme since late 2025, is serving as director of football.
On plans to launch its first football boots in 2027, followed by kits and lifestyle products, according to the Financial Times. The programme will incorporate LightSpray, its robotic process for creating shoe uppers.
For On, football is close to the company’s existing economic engine but far from its existing competitive structure.
Second-quarter sales reached CHF850.3m. Footwear accounted for CHF781.6m, about 92% of revenue, while direct-to-consumer sales rose to CHF388.4m.
On already knows how to build premium technical shoes and sell them through both wholesale and direct channels. Football adds a different set of costs: elite athlete deals, clubs, federations, retail visibility and product requirements that differ materially from distance running.
Federer is the relevant internal precedent
On has built around a star athlete before.
Its IPO prospectus says Roger Federer joined in 2019 as both an investor and an “active co-entrepreneur.” He worked with On on The Roger franchise and competition tennis footwear, spending time with the company’s product teams.
That precedent makes Mbappé more interesting as a product-development relationship than as a conventional advertising signing.
An elite footballer can test fit, traction, weight and durability before the first commercial launch. On can also attach an athlete with global reach to a category where the company currently has almost no product revenue.
Reports from Investopedia and UOL say Mbappé received equity as part of the deal. On’s announcement does not disclose an equity component, while the FT and Reuters reports available on September 18 do not specify one. The reported share element therefore remains secondary to the analysis rather than carrying it.
Football will put more pressure on the model
LightSpray gives On a product thesis beyond endorsement.
The process creates an upper by robotically spraying continuous filament instead of assembling a conventional textile structure from multiple pieces. Moving it into football tests whether On can transfer a distinctive manufacturing technology into a sport with different biomechanical demands.
Running shoes optimise repeated forward gait and energy return. Football boots face lateral loading, traction, ball contact and highly individual preferences among elite players.
The commercial environment is also more expensive. Nike, Adidas and Puma operate extensive athlete, club, federation and youth networks. Even a successful boot has to earn enough gross profit to cover category-specific product development, distribution and sports marketing.
On has not disclosed Mbappé’s compensation, football marketing spend or revenue target.
The Federer relationship proves that On can turn athlete involvement into product creation and a durable franchise. It does not prove that the economics travel unchanged into football.
Mbappé gives the company credibility and attention before launch. The harder part begins when On has to convert those assets into footwear sales at margins high enough to absorb the cost of competing in a sponsorship-heavy global sport.