Bittersweet On Debut: Kylian Mbappé Scores and Suffers Injury in First Match Wearing On Boots

French superstar Kylian Mbappé officially made his competitive debut in prototype On football boots during France's UEFA Nations League clash against Turkey. Having recently parted ways with long-time sponsor Nike to headline the Swiss running brand's entry into the football market, Mbappé took to the pitch wearing an all-white prototype as he captained Les Bleus in Zinedine Zidane's first match in charge.

First Goal & Injury in Prototype On Football Boots

The occasion quickly produced a headline moment for both the player and the brand. In the 54th minute, Mbappé broke the deadlock with a trademark clinical finish from the left side, netting his first goal of the Zidane era and giving France a 1-0 lead. However, the celebrations were almost immediately cut short when the forward went down clutching his knee in visible distress shortly after the restart.

Mbappé was unable to shake off the issue and was substituted in the 60th minute, walking off the pitch alongside Zidane to make way for Désiré Doué. Attention now turns to the severity of the French captain's injury.

The debut also gave us the best look at Mbappé's On prototype soccer cleats yet. The outstep reads ON-DCPT-KM010 (ON: Brand, On, DCPT: Stands for “Deception” - a term used by On's R&D department to refer to secret prototypes that haven't yet been officially released on the market, KM010: Refers directly to On's collaboration with Kylian Mbappé and the specific version of the shoe that he helped design).

The On logo is featured on the front collar and the heel, while the Lightspray lettering sits on the lower outstep.

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