Mbappe, Messi, Yamal and the 10 biggest athletes to dump Nike

Nike has lost another global superstar after Kylian Mbappé walked away from the sportswear giant following nearly two decades with the brand.

The Real Madrid forward joins a remarkable list of athletes who have ended high-profile partnerships with Nike in favour of rival companies, bigger opportunities or greater control over their brands.

From Lionel Messi and Neymar to Tiger Woods and Steph Curry, these exits have reshaped the sportswear landscape in different ways.

Mbappé first signed with Nike in 2006 as a nine-year-old and became one of the brand’s biggest football stars. After his contract expired, the Real Madrid forward rejected an extension and joined Swiss sportswear company On.

Mbappé was attracted by the opportunity to help build On’s football operation, contribute to product development and receive equity in the business.

His departure ended a partnership that lasted almost two decades and represented one of the biggest shifts in football’s endorsement market.

Messi wore Nike boots during his rise through Barcelona’s academy before an endorsement dispute opened the door for Adidas.

Nike and Messi’s representatives disagreed over his endorsement rights and image approval ahead of the 2006 World Cup. Adidas subsequently presented a more lucrative offer, including a personalised boot line.

Messi officially joined Adidas in February 2006 and eventually signed a lifetime contract with the company in 2017. Nike consequently lost one of football’s greatest-ever players to its biggest global rival.

Woods and Nike formed one of sport’s most recognisable partnerships after he turned professional in 1996. Over 27 years, the golfer became the centrepiece of Nike’s golf division, producing iconic Sunday Red looks and signature products.

Their relationship ended in January 2024 after Nike scaled back its hard-goods golf operations and Woods allowed his contract to expire.

Rather than signing another traditional apparel deal, Woods partnered with TaylorMade to launch Sun Day Red, giving him greater entrepreneurial control over his clothing and lifestyle brand.

Curry’s departure from Nike in 2013 became one of sports marketing’s most famous stories. During contract negotiations, Nike executives reportedly mispronounced his first name, used a presentation slide containing Kevin Durant’s name and failed to offer the emerging Warriors star a signature shoe line.

Curry subsequently joined Under Armour, where the partnership helped establish the company as a major basketball footwear competitor.

The relationship eventually produced Curry Brand, giving the NBA superstar his own standalone label and transforming his decision to leave Nike into a major commercial success.

Federer represented Nike for 24 years while winning 20 Grand Slam titles and turning his RF logo into a global trademark.

When his contract expired in 2018, Japanese retailer Uniqlo offered him a reported $300 million, 10-year deal. The agreement did not require Federer to play in Uniqlo footwear, allowing him to continue wearing Nike shoes temporarily.

Federer later invested in Swiss sportswear company On and took an equity stake, turning his departure from Nike into a broader business relationship with a fast-growing rival.

Neymar joined Nike at just 13 while developing at Santos and eventually became one of the company’s leading football stars.

Their partnership ended abruptly in 2020, despite the Brazilian reportedly having two years remaining on his contract. Reports pointed to a breakdown in communication between Neymar’s camp and Nike executives.

The forward subsequently signed with Puma on a deal reportedly worth £23 million per year, becoming the face of its football operation and headlining the famous King boot franchise.

Yamal initially wore Nike products through Barcelona’s team partnership and his early football development. As the teenager began breaking records, Adidas moved aggressively to secure his long-term services before Nike could establish a senior partnership.

Yamal officially joined Adidas in February 2024 and was quickly positioned as a major face of its F50 boot line.

The move mirrored Adidas’ earlier recruitment of Lionel Messi, with another Barcelona prodigy switching from Nike to the German sportswear giant.

Biles signed with Nike in 2015 before becoming one of the defining athletes of the 2016 Rio Olympics. In April 2021, the gymnastics superstar announced that she was leaving the company for Athleta, Gap’s female-focused activewear brand.

Biles pointed to Athleta’s alignment with her personal values, support for women’s empowerment and commitment to holistic athlete support.

Her departure attracted significant attention because it came amid wider scrutiny surrounding sportswear companies’ treatment of female athletes and maternity policies.

Kane was a long-term Nike football ambassador and became one of the leading faces of the brand’s Hypervenom and Phantom boot ranges.

In 2023, around the time of his move from Tottenham to Bayern Munich, Kane ended his Nike partnership. He subsequently signed a multi-year, lifetime footwear agreement with Skechers, becoming the American company’s leading football ambassador.

Kane also played a central role as Skechers entered the performance football boot market, giving the England captain a much larger role in developing the brand’s new football operation.

Raducanu became a global sporting star after winning the 2021 US Open as an 18-year-old qualifier while wearing Nike.

She continued representing the American company during her early WTA career before allowing her initial deal to expire. Following competing offers, the British tennis star signed with Japanese retailer Uniqlo.

The move placed Raducanu alongside Roger Federer as one of the company’s leading global tennis ambassadors and gave her a fresh commercial identity following her breakthrough Grand Slam victory.