He may have missed out on becoming a double World Cup winner but Kylian Mbappe’s brand is bigger and better than ever after his adventures this summer.
The Frenchman won the Golden Boot and, with his brace in the third place play-off, became the World Cup’s all-time leading scorer, one ahead of Lionel Messi, who is 12 years his senior.
Up until the semi-finals against Spain, France had swept all before them. Some commentators were talking about them as one of the World Cup’s all-time great sides.
But Didier Deschamps’ blood-and-thunder side were starved of oxygen in a display of remarkable control by the eventual champions, who beat Argentina in a drab final. Mbappe was kept quiet.
Now, the 27-year-old’s focus turns to his return to action with Real Madrid, whose new era under Jose Mourinho begins against Espanyol on 22 August.
And one sideshow ahead of that date may be the boots that Mbappe is – or isn’t – wearing.
Mbappe’s Nike deal reportedly expires in four days
Since he was a child prodigy playing for Monaco’s academy, Mbappe has been sponsored by Nike.
The American sportswear giant’s latest deal with the attacker is said to have been worth in the region of $185m all told, though it is not known whether that includes performance bonuses and other incentives.
But several reports earlier in the year suggested that Mbappe’s contract with Nike expires after 31 July. Days out from that would-be deadline, there has been no official update from either party.
Mbappe did, however, release a signature boot with Nike ahead of the World Cup.
Adidas and Under Armour have been mooted as suitors, as has the prospect of Mbappe launching his own Michael Jordan-style brand in tandem with a manufacturer.
If Mbappe does leave Nike, it would be arguably the most significant defection in the sponsorship market in a generation.
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