PSG: Football shoe war inside the Parisian locker room

If the club has a substantial contract with Nike for the official uniform, each player is free to wear the boots that suit him best,… or that leave more profit in his pocket

Nike, Adidas, Puma, Mizuno. Up to four different logos tread the grass of the Parc des Princes in an open war within the Paris Saint-Germain locker room to wear on the players’ boots.

The French club, which has signed numerous stars in recent years, such as Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappé or Neymar, has brought with him a battle that is also being waged between shoe brands.

If the club has a substantial contract with Nike for the official uniform, each player is free to put on the boots that suit him best,… or that leave the most profits in his pockets. In most cases the second criterion prevails.

The three great figures of the team have opted, in that war, for three different brands.

Messi has signed with Adidas a life contract of more than 15 million euros per year to carry the three bands in his boots.

Elevated to a great figure of the German brand for years, it has not changed due to its landing on the banks of the Seine, although this has forced the creative imagination to stir.

In the promotional photos of the new shirt of the PSG His feet never appear, cut off in the images or by the legs of another colleague. Conflicts between brands must be avoided.

The Argentine, who has just won his seventh Ballon d’Or, is the spearhead of the German brand in the Parisian locker room, where he has 12 other soldiers who are also donning those boots.

For Adidas, Messi He is one of its most important figures and his name appears on some models, which the brand claims to develop following the advice of the star from Rosario.

NIKE BETS FOR MBAPPÉ

A practice that they also do with other footballers. Nike is the majority in PSGwith 15 players, among which stands out Mbappewho wears boots of the American standard since he was 13 years old.

The French star, who is now 23, represents an important challenge for the club, also committed to the brand from Oregon (USA).

While plucking the daisy about his future, the player is in front of those in the locker room who wear Nikea troop that also includes, among others, Marco Verratti, Marquinhos or Presnel Kimpembe.

Nike and Adidas They have another tough rival Cougarwhich took over the team’s third star in 2020, Neymar, an earthquake in the sports sponsorship market valued by some media at more than 20 million euros per year.

The most expensive player in history has become the image of the cat’s brand and its lever of entry into one of the most mediatic locker rooms in the world.

This triumvirate was joined this summer by a fourth competitor, Mizunowhich came in the boots of Sergio Ramos. Although the center-back is not getting many minutes, his specific weight is enough to relaunch the Japanese brand.

bouquets he knows very well what it means to get a performance out of his image. In less than two years, the footballer left Nikesigned for Adidas and then committed to the Japanese brand.

GOALKEEPER WAR

In search of a more substantial contract, the Italian goalkeeper also changed Gianluigi Donnarummawho kept the Cougar that he wore in Milan to put on some Adidas.

The German brand bet heavily on the goalkeeper, chosen as the best player of the last European Championship, something that they did not do with the same forcefulness with their rival for defending the posts of the PSGthe Costa Rican Keylor Navas.

The “tico”, who has an impressive track record, also wears Adidas, but it is not one of the images of the brand, which is limited to providing you with the material. In the case of goalkeepers, in addition to boots, there are also gloves.

The war of the brands to dress the soccer players takes place very early, in the case of those who aim high.

In the case of PSG, an example of this is the Dutchman Xavi Simons, who has been hanging the promise sign since his first kicks at La Masía del Barcelona in 2010.

The player, about to turn 19, who reached the PSG in 2019 in order to sign his first professional contract, he had an agreement with Nikeboth for its sports equipment and for using its image on social networks.

But last year, in the absence of a revaluation of the agreement, he decided to make the leap to Adidas.