A football player´s individual sponsorship is in many cases his second main source of income (after the salary received by the club he plays for). If you are a TOP player brands will lock down your loyalty with large amounts of money and different conditions which makes it unusual to see football starts change their sponsors during their professional career. This does not mean it has not happened before, in fact, there are some cases that stand out. We now present you a list of brands that were able to steal a player from the competition.
1. Messi´s boots: Nike - adidas
This one is without a doubt the most important one. During Leo Messi´s first games with the first team we saw him wear Nike boots (main sponsor for FC Barcelona) but this would not last since Adidas saw the potential stored by the Argentinian player and decided to offer him a top contract when he was only 18 years old.
2. Paul Pogba´s boots Nike - adidas
The most recent one. Paul Pogba was a Nike player for several years but it is important to mention that he is a complicated player since we could see him wearing Nike boots one day and Adidas the next one. He has recently become the most important signed player of the year by Adidas and it will be difficult to see him wearing another brand.
3. Mata´s boots Nike - adidas
During his stage at the Real Madrid´s academy squad and Valencia CF, Juan Mata used to score goals with wearing the SWOOSH brand but in 2013, when he was playing for Chelsea FC, Adidas signed him and another team-mate who was also wearing Nike.
4. Fernando Torres´ boots Nike - adidas
Juan Mata´s team-mate we were talking about before, who also left Nike for Adidas was Fernando “El Niño” Torres. He was a Nike player for over 10 years, and during that time he won the World Cup, and during the 2008 Euro Cup he scored the winning goal with a pair of Nike Total 90 Laser.
5. Marcelo´s boots Nike - adidas
The last player in this list who left Nike for Adidas. Funny thing is, on his presentation day with Real Madrid he was wearing Adidas but he probably had not signed a contract with any brand yet. Since he arrived in Madrid until the 2012-2013 season he was sponsored by Nike and ever since them he has been an Adidas player.
Último jugador de la lista que se pasó de Nike a la competencia directa. Lo curioso es que el día de su presentación Marcelo lucía botas adidas pero probablemente no tenía un contrato cerrado con ninguna marca. Desde su llegada al Madrid hasta la temporada 2012-2013 estuvo con Nike y desde entonces es jugador adidas.
6. Dani Alves´ boots adidas - nike
Here is the most complicated player of all when deciding on a sponsor. Dani Alves arrived to FC Barcelona as Nike player, until 2011 when he signed with Adidas and after a few years with the German brand, the Brazilian player decided not to re-sign and came back to Nike in 2015 for the UEFA Champions League final.
7. Gonzalo Higuain´s boots adidas - Nike
Same as Marcelo, Higuain was wearing Nike boots the day he was presented at Real Madrid, but Adidas did not take long to offer him a contract and make him an Adizero player. Seven years later, still playing for Real Madrid, Nike signed the Argentinian player and nowadays he remains loyal to the American brand.
8. Thierry Henry´s boots Nike - Reebok - Puma
The French player, Thierry Henry, is a pretty interesting case. He was the image of Nike during his golden years at Arsenal but after being traded to FC Barcelona he signed with Reebok (a brand that would stop producing boots after a few years). In 2011, while playing for NY Red Bulls, he signed with Puma and nowadays he remains loyal to the brand as an ambassador.
9. Fàbregas´ boots Nike - Puma
He was a Nike player during his entire stage at Arsenal and even in his first year as a Barça player.
It is necessary to mention that although he was playing for a team that was sponsored by Nike, Cesc signed with Puma during his second year playing for Barcelona and ever since then he has become one of the most important players sponsored by the brand.
10. Kun Aguero´s boots Nike - Puma
We finish up the list with one of the starts in the Premier League, Sergio Kun Aguero. We saw the Argentinian player competing in the Liga BBVA with Atletico de Madrid wearing Nike boots but without being a strong image for the brand, something he did achieve with Puma after he arrived in England to play for Manchester City.
Why do you think Nike lets so many players leave? We look forward to read your comments.
