Vinicius Junior wears a pair of plain black boots during Real Madrid’s La Liga match against Valencia on Thursday after ending his commercial partnership with Nike.
Vinicius, 22, is the latest high-profile player to leave the Nike stable, after Neymar (Puma), Raheem Sterling (New Balance) and Sergio Ramos (Mizuno) also left the American sports company.
Nike has been Vinicius’ most important sponsor since 2013, when he was just 13 years old. He signed a 10-year contract with the brand, and in 2018 he renewed it for another 10 years.
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Vinicius, who made his 200th appearance against Valencia tonight, received improved terms when he signed on a second extension, but the forward has quickly established himself as an important player for both Real Madrid and Brazil.
Vinicius’ various social media profiles grew rapidly during this time, while sales of his shirts were also very high. His involvement in Real Madrid’s advertising activations has also been limited, as the club is sponsored by Adidas, a rival brand to Nike.
Vinicius soon felt that the terms of his extension did not reflect his improving status and decided that he wanted to leave the Nike stable. His team of lawyers began working on the separation, but the contract between the brand and the player did not include a termination clause.
However, the forward made his feelings clear and at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, he played for Brazil wearing the old model of boots instead of the latest Mercurial XV pairs worn by the brand’s other players.
Against Valencia on Thursday, Vinicius took to the field wearing a pair of blackout boots — with no visible markings.
“Vini’s contract with Nike has expired,” said a source close to the player, who spoke on condition of anonymity to protect his job. The Athletic on Thursday night. “We are in no rush to sign with another brand.
“The key for us is to find the right company that values and believes in Vini and is willing to invest in his brand through campaigns and activations around the world.”
The Athletic has contacted Nike for comment.
What now?
There was no serious contact between players and other brands. His team were said to be relaxed about the situation and were waiting for his contract with Nike to be terminated before discussing options with other companies.
Currently, Vinicius has contracts with eight brands: Pepsi, EA Sports, One Football, Royaltiz, Golden Concept and three from Brazil, Vivo (the most important phone company in the country), Zé Delivery and Betnacional.
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(Photo: Getty Images)
