Nike Has Lost More Than 40 Important Players In Past 6 Months - Updated
Update: We have been sent a list featuring not less than 42 players that Nike has lost recently by our follower @m.eisenrigler. It becomes obvious that Nike is calculated by Nike not to extend the contracts with many players. It will be interesting to see if it continues in 2021.
Full List: Players Lost By Nike In Past Few Months
Premier League
Manchester United
- Anthony Martial
- Alex Telles
Manchester City
- Raheem Sterling
- Phil Foden
- Kyle Walker
- Fernandinho
- Ederson
- Riyad Mahrez?
Liverpool
- Gomez
- Thiago
- Elliot
Everton
- Calvert-Lewin
Arsenal
- Saka
- Smith-Rowe
- Willian
- Lacazette
Tottenham
- Vinicius
Chelsea
- James
Aston Villa
- Barkley
Crystal Palace
- Eze
Wolves
- Adama Traoré
La Liga
Barcelona
- Mingueza
Real Madrid
- Asensio
- Varane
- Ramos
Betis
- Lainez
Celta Vigo
- Iago Aspas
Serie A
Juventus
- Arthur
- Alex Sandro
Inter
- Brozovic
Milan
- Ibrahimovic
Ligue 1
PSG
- Neymar
Lille
- Weah
Bundesliga
Bayern
- Lewandowski
- Coman
- Nianzou
Leipzig
- Mukiele
- Adams
Bayer 04
- Schick
- Diaby
- Tapsoba
Others
- David Neres
As an avid follower of football, our website and possibly also our boot stats site Football Boots DB, you surely know that Nike has been the leading football boots brand since several years. However, now Nike seems to change its strategy - the Swoosh apparently lost various of its best players, and that just in the past six months.
Adidas, Nike and Puma supply the boots for around 97% of footballers
In 2020-2021, the situation on the boot market is as follows - Nike is sponsoring more than half of all players of Europe's biggest leagues with around 53%, Adidas comes second with around 37%, Puma comes third with 7%. All other brands except the big three account for just 3%.
Players Who Left / Could Leave Nike
Players who have apparently / officially left Nike does not only include a handful of medium-attractive athletes (in terms of marketability) but superstars like Neymar, Lewandowski, Thiago Alcantara and Sergio Ramos.
We have counted more than 20 popular players who have / are set / were rumored to leave Nike just in the past 6 months.
Nike has changed its strategy
It is pretty certain that Nike did not get short of money unexpectedly to pay those athletes but that the reason is that the Swoosh has changed its strategy. It seems like Nike do not want to sponsor athletes whatever it costs bit let run out deals they think that are too expensive.
In fact, with that large amount of players leaving Nike currently, we think that it is possible that Nike comes together with players to let some contracts end ahead of schedule. We also think that it is sure that Nike does not want to pay many of their players as much as before - see Ribery, Ibrahimovic or Raheem Sterling as examples.
Two brands are snapping the players Nike is losing - Adidas and Puma. In fact, Puma's CEO said that their new strategy is to sign more superstars to make the brand more attractive.
Of course, with thousands of footballers playing the Top 5 leagues (around 3,000), Nike is still sponsoring more than half of all players of them.
All Important Players Who Could Leave Nike
Kingsley Coman: Nike ➡️ Puma
Zlatan Ibrahimovic: Nike ➡️ Unsponsored (Nike, Puma, Diadora)
Willian: Nike ➡️ Puma
Riyad Mahrez: Nike??
Sergio Ramos: Nike ➡️ Adidas?
Thiago Alcantara: Nike ➡️ Adidas
Iago Aspas: Nike ➡️ Adidas?
Arthur Melo: Nike ➡️ Adidas
Marco Asensio: Nike ➡️ Adidas
Robert Lewandowski: Nike ➡️ Puma
Adama Traoré: Nike ➡️ Unsponsored
Phil Foden: Nike ➡️ ???
Raheem Sterling: Nike ➡️ New Balance / Puma ???
Franck Ribery: Nike ➡️ Unsponsored
Kyle Walker: Nike ➡️ Puma
Anthony Martial: Nike ➡️ Puma?
Neymar: Nike ➡️ Puma
Axel Telles: Nike ➡️ Adidas
Raphael Varane: Nike ➡️ Puma???
What do you think of Nike cutting costs by not extending the deals with dozens of players? Comment below.
Endrick Wears Unreleased New Balance Tekela Boots in 2026 World Cup Training
Brazil youngster Endrick has worn an unreleased teal and lime green colorway of the New Balance Tekela V5 football boots. On the heel is the Brazilian's signature logo.
South Korea Forced to Change Away Kit Font Color for 2026 World Cup
South Korea have been forced to change the nameset color on their 2026 away kit to comply with FIFA equipment regulations. The original light green names and numbers, which were worn during the team's pre-tournament friendlies, have been replaced with navy for the 2026 World Cup.
The change was made to increase the visibility of the names and numbers from a distance. The original light green color did not provide enough contrast against the light purple and white camouflage-style pattern of the Nike away shirt, violating FIFA's strict rules regarding the legibility of player identification.
The updated navy nameset was debuted in South Korea's second match of the tournament, providing a stark contrast to the shirt's base design and ensuring full compliance with FIFA's visibility standards.
CD Numancia 26-27 Home, Away & Third Kits Released
Spanish club CD Numancia and their long-time technical sponsor Erreà have officially unveiled the club's new kits for the 2026-27 season. The launch celebrates a historic milestone, marking 20 years of uninterrupted partnership between the team and the Italian sportswear brand. To honor this two-decade collaboration, the new designs reinterpret the essence of the original kits from the 2006-07 season, when Erreà first began outfitting the Soria-based side.
The CD Numancia 2026-2027 home kit returns to the club's traditional deep red base with blue details, directly inspired by the 2006-07 template. It features a classic central shield placement, reviving a vintage aesthetic that defined the early days of the partnership. The away kit reverses this color scheme, utilizing a crisp white base with red and blue accents. Rounding out the set, the third kit introduces a clean black design with red and white elements that firmly connect to Numancia's identity.
Nike x G-Dragon South Korea 2026 World Cup Collection Debuted
In the recent match between South Korea and Mexico, the South Korean players wore special anthem jackets and pre-match shirt from a lifestyle collection created in collaboration with global star G-Dragon.
Black/Green Nike Mercurial Superfly 11 Boots Spotted
In the opening match between Haiti and Scotland, left-back Martin Expérience was spotted wearing the Nike Mercurial Superfly 11 boots in a black/green colorway. It is expected to be released soon.
Livingston FC 26-27 Home Kit Released
Livingston FC have officially unveiled their new 2026027 home kit, made by Joma.
The new Joma Livingston FC 2026-27 home shirt features a dominant amber-yellow colorway and a large polo collar. The jersey also incorporates subtle embossed patterns that add a refined touch to the design.
Hibernian FC 26-27 Home Kit Released
Hibernian FC have officially unveiled their new 2026-27 home kit and simultaneously announced a partnership with Reebok, replacing Joma as the club’s kit supplier.
The new jersey features a dark green base, complemented by a polo collar and raglan sleeves with white accents. Both the collar and sleeve cuffs are white, finished with green trim.
World Cup 'Debut' Patch is Attached to the Boots
Midfielder Luis Romo (31) made a memorable impact in his FIFA World Cup debut, scoring the only goal in Mexico’s 1-0 victory over South Africa. The win also made Mexico the first team to secure a place in the knockout stage.
Making his first-ever World Cup appearance, Luis Romo naturally had the honor of wearing the World Cup “Debut” Patch. Interestingly, however, he chose to attach it to his Tiempo Maestro boots rather than wear it on his shirt sleeve like most other players.