From Ronaldo to Ronaldinho via Kylian Mbappe and Cristiano Ronaldo, American sportswear giant Nike has always been associated with some of the biggest names in football.
It is not just superstar players that they are partnered with, though, as a distinctive swoosh design is also heavily linked to some of the most successful club and international teams on the planet.
Who do Nike currently have on their books – with the promise of more notable signings to come – and which iconic figures have represented them with distinction in the past? GOAL takes a look…
Which footballers are sponsored by Nike?
You do not need to look far to find Nike apparel at any given football fixture, with some of the biggest names on the planet sporting their latest footwear offerings.
Leading figures from the Premier League, La Liga, Ligue 1, Serie A, the Bundesliga and around the world are big fans of some legendary designs.
Talismanic figures at Manchester United, Chelsea, Paris Saint-Germain, Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, Liverpool and Barcelona are among those to wear Nike boots.
Check out our list below.
| Player | Nationality |
|---|---|
| Riyad Mahrez | Algeria |
| Luka Modric | Croatia |
| Ivan Perisic | Croatia |
| Karim Adeyimi | Germany |
| Kai Havertz | Germany |
| Joshua Kimmich | Germany |
| Jamal Musiala | Germany |
| Antonio Rudiger | Germany |
| Leroy Sane | Germany |
| Martin Odegaard | Norway |
| Robert Lewandowski | Poland |
| Mauro Icardi | Argentina |
| Lautaro Martinez | Argentina |
| Joao Cancelo | Portugal |
| Ruben Dias | Portugal |
| Bruno Fernandes | Portugal |
| Cristiano Ronaldo | Portugal |
| Sam Kerr | Australia |
| Ada Hegerberg | Norway |
| Christian Eriksen | Denmark |
| Kasper Schmeichel | Denmark |
| Alek Golovin | Russia |
| Andy Robertson | Scotland |
| Thibaut Courtois | Belgium |
| Kevin De Bruyne | Belgium |
| Eden Hazard | Belgium |
| Romelu Lukaku | Belgium |
| Youri Tielemans | Belgium |
| Sergej Milinkovic-Savic | Serbia |
| Dusan Vlahovic | Serbia |
| Tammy Abraham | England |
| Patrick Bamford | England |
| Hakim Ziyech | Morocco |
| Donyell Malen | Netherlands |
| Virgil van Dijk | Netherlands |
| Eduardo Camavinga | France |
| Jack Grealish | England |
| Jordan Henderson | England |
| Harry Kane | England |
| Marcus Rashford | England |
| Alisson | Brazil |
| Gabigol | Brazil |
| Philippe Coutinho | Brazil |
| Vinicius Jr | Brazil |
| Marquinhos | Brazil |
| Richarlison | Brazil |
| Ansu Fati | Spain |
| Gerard Pique | Spain |
| Adama Traore | Spain |
| Leonardo Bonucci | Italy |
| Federico Chiesa | Italy |
| Jorginho | Italy |
| Marco Verratti | Italy |
| Alphonso Davies | Canada |
| Takehiro Tomiyasu | Japan |
| Zlatan Ibrahimovic | Sweden |
| Alexis Sanchez | Chile |
| Xherdan Shaqiri | Switzerland |
| Hakan Calhanoglu | Turkey |
| Edinson Cavani | Uruguay |
| Sergino Dest | USA |
| Megan Rapinoe | USA |
| Kelechi Iheanacho | Nigeria |
| Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang | Gabon |
| Wilfried Zaha | Ivory Coast |
| Nicolas Pepe | Ivory Coast |
| Radamel Falcao | Colombia |
| Hirving Lozano | Mexico |
| Ousmane Dembele | France |
| Jules Kounde | France |
| Alexandre Lacazette | France |
| Kylian Mbappe | France |
Which former footballers were sponsored by Nike?
One of the more prominent partnerships to have been struck up between Nike and leading players on a football field was delivered in the 1990s when a star-studded Brazil side became the subject of some legendary adverts.
Nike also produced a number of cage football advertisements featuring household names of that time, and they continue to live long in the memory, with Ballon d’Or and World Cup winners aplenty having associated themselves with the company at some stage.
| Player | Nationality |
|---|---|
| Sergio Aguero | Argentina |
| Hernan Crespo | Argentina |
| Diego Simeone | Argentina |
| Adriano | Brazil |
| Roberto Carlos | Brazil |
| Ronaldo | Brazil |
| Ronaldinho | Brazil |
| Romario | Brazil |
| Geremi | Cameroon |
| Didier Drogba | Ivory Coast |
| Alen Boksic | Croatia |
| Tomas Rosicky | Czech Republic |
| Peter Schmeichel | Denmark |
| Jamie Carragher | England |
| Ashley Cole | England |
| Robbie Fowler | England |
| Wayne Rooney | England |
| Paul Scholes | England |
| John Terry | England |
| Ian Wright | England |
| Fabien Barthez | France |
| Eric Cantona | France |
| Youri Djorkaeff | France |
| David Ginola | France |
| Thierry Henry | France |
| Claude Makelele | France |
| Emmanuel Petit | France |
| Lilian Thuram | France |
| Patrick Vieira | France |
| Oliver Bierhoff | Germany |
| Miroslav Klose | Germany |
| Matthias Sammer | Germany |
| Tony Yeboah | Ghana |
| Robbie Keane | Ireland |
| Fabio Cannavaro | Italy |
| Gennaro Gattuso | Italy |
| Paolo Maldini | Italy |
| Filippo Inzaghi | Italy |
| Andrea Pirlo | Italy |
| Francesco Totti | Italy |
| Christian Vieri | Italy |
| Hidetoshi Nakata | Japan |
| Jorge Campos | Mexico |
| Rafa Marquez | Mexico |
| Edgar Davids | Netherlands |
| Ruud van Nistelrooy | Netherlands |
| Robin van Persie | Netherlands |
| Wesley Sneijder | Netherlands |
| Jay Jay Okocha | Nigeria |
| Ole Gunnar Solskjaer | Norway |
| Rui Costa | Portugal |
| Luis Figo | Portugal |
| Andrey Arshavin | Russia |
| Hakan Sukur | Turkey |
| Dwight Yorke | Trinidad & Tobago |
| Park Ji Sung | South Korea |
| Cesc Fabregas | Spain |
| Andres Iniesta | Spain |
| Carles Puyol | Spain |
| Tomas Brolin | Sweden |
| Andriy Shevchenko | Ukraine |
| Clint Dempsey | USA |
| Landon Donovan | USA |
| Ryan Giggs | Wales |
| Ian Rush | Wales |
Which club and international teams are sponsored by Nike?
Any design sporting a famous swoosh is pretty much always embraced by supporters of any given club or nation, with Nike having forged a reputation that allows them to sit comfortably among market leaders in the sportswear business.
Their designs have been donned by title-winning outfits on domestic and international stages, with the reigning world champions and many sides looking to land that crown in Qatar later this year currently tied to the brand.
Clubs sponsored by Nike
| Club | League |
|---|---|
| Inter | Serie A |
| Paris Saint-Germain | Ligue 1 |
| Atletico Madrid | La Liga |
| Barcelona | La Liga |
| RB Leipzig | Bundesliga |
| Galatasaray | Super Lig |
| Chelsea | Premier League |
| Liverpool | Premier League |
| Tottenham | Premier League |
| Corinthians | Serie A |
National teams sponsored by Nike
| Nation | Federation |
|---|---|
| Nigeria | CAF |
| England | UEFA |
| France | UEFA |
| Netherlands | UEFA |
| Portugal | UEFA |
| USA | CONCACAF |
| Canada | CONCACAF |
| Brazil | CONMEBOL |
| Qatar | AFC |
| Croatia | UEFA |
What else do Nike sponsor?
It is not just boots and kits that Nike are involved with as their reach in football circles stretches far and wide.
They are the official ball supplier for the Premier League, as well as the kits worn by match officials in the English top flight.
Match balls are also provided in Serie A, the A-League and for the Coupe de France while various sporting programmes are sponsored across the globe.
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