Soccer
Kylian Mbappe Cleats: The French Star’s Boots Show He’s Already Among Soccer’s Elites
Joe Kozlowski began his career as a sports journalist in 2013 and joined Sportscasting in 2019. He covers the NBA and soccer for Sportscasting, with specialties in legacy NBA players such as Michael Jordan and Premier League club Arsenal. Off the clock, he's a Kansas City Chiefs fan and a hockey goalie. Growing up loving Shaquille O'Neal and reading everything he could about the great big men throughout NBA history — likely because he was still tall enough, at least relative to his peers, to play center — he's continued to love learning about and exploring the historical and story-based sides of the basketball archives. As for Arsenal, Joe spent a year living in London and latched onto the local support of the club. He's barely missed a match since, loving Arsene Wenger, enduring the Banter Era, and following along through rebuilds. The Premier League interest developed into a passionate following of the Champions League, Europe's big five league, and international soccer as a whole when played at the highest level. Regardless of the sport, Joe is captivated by the stories of athletes beyond the box scores and how they push the envelope — both in terms of what we think a human is capable of accomplishing and how they find new competitive tactics to win.
Get to know Joe Kozlowski betterPublished04 Dec 2022
As the cliche says, “clothes make the man.” While there’s room to debate the validity of that statement, athletic shoes do say something about the wearer. As NBA fans can confirm, getting a signature sneaker is quite the honor. The same is true in the world of soccer. Consider the Kylian Mbappe cleats as an example of that.
If you’ve ever watched Mbappe play for France or PSG, then you know there’s no doubt the forward is an elite talent. When you consider his signature boots in conjunction with his resume, though, it’s easy to see how he’s next in line to rule the footballing world.
What cleats does Kylian Mbappe wear?
While we might like to pretend that sports are a pure meritocracy where everything is motivated by the love of the game, everything is a business. Through that lens, it’s not surprising to see the biggest stars wearing the biggest brands. Mbappe is no exception to that. PSG takes the pitch with Nike — or occasionally Jordan — kits, and their marquee player wears Nike boots.
As of the beginning of the 2022-23 campaign, the French forward is wearing a signature edition of the Nike Zoom Mercurial Superfly 9. While there’s room for the color scheme to change, the boots were released in what’s been called a “Dark Beetroot/University Blue/Metallic Vivid Gold” colorway. As spelled out by SoccerBible, the design is “inspired by the Jordan 7 and Parisian afropop.”
In terms of personal details, Mbappe himself is also represented in a few places. There’s a small “KM” logo, and the signature Nike swoosh has two peaks, making it resemble an “M.”
We’ve seen some top-notch signature Mbappe cleats before, including his unforgettable pink boots
As you might expect from his star status, this isn’t Kylian Mbappe’s first signature shoe. If anything, some of the previous editions have been even more impressive due to the personal details incorporated into the design.
Take, for example, the Mbappe x Bondy Mercurial Superfly 7 Elite SE. Bondy refers to the suburb of Paris where the PSG star grew up, and that reference, combined with the French flags, stars representing international triumphs, and gold detailing, suggest the life story of a boy who rose from humble beginnings to shine on soccer’s biggest stages.
Then, there are the pink Mercurials that everyone remembers.
As Mbappe explained in a tweet, the boots carried another sentimental touch as French international Franck Ribery wore his own signature pink Mercurials during the 2000s. The current PSG star wore those as a boy, and ahead of the 2020 Champions League Final, the world was introduced to a new pair of Mbappe cleats honoring the predecessors.
Just forget that Les Parisiens lost that match and focus on the shoe.
Between the narrative, the talent, and Nike’s might, it’s easy to see Kylian Mbappe ruling the soccer world
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In the world of sports, predicting the future can be next to impossible. All it takes, after all, is a single stroke of misfortune to end a player’s career. But even with that uncertainty, it’s safe to chart Mbappe’s course into the stratosphere.
At this point in time, the PSG forward is only 23 years old. He’s already piled up a trophy case full of individual honors, dominated France, and won a World Cup. Barring a Champions League victory, Mbappe is already in gilding-the-lily territory. And, if aging curves are to be believed, he’ll only keep getting better.
Athletic accomplishments, however, are only one part of the overall greatness narrative. There’s also a personal component.
How do fans connect to this player? Do they want to root for his success?
In Mbappe’s case, that’s a yes.
While PSG isn’t globally beloved in the same way a Manchester United may be, they aren’t universally reviled. Even if you take issues with their funding, it’s tough to fault the players for that. The striker also has risen from humble origins — “emerging from the banlieues [literally suburbs, but, in practice, a non-white, working-class neighborhood] and finding success is considered no easy feat,” explained CNBC — and become a global star. He’s essentially on equal footing with Cristiano Ronaldo, who adorned the walls of Mbappe’s childhood room.
Lastly, there has to be support from the powers that be. Talent and a good story can only take you so far before a massive brand steps in to make you a star. Mbappe, as evidenced by his multiple signature shoes, is already a key part of Nike’s universe.
Add in a little good fortune, as the French star is reaching the height of his career as Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo are endings theirs, and it’s the perfect storm to take over the (soccer) world.
That should mean plenty more signature edition Mbappe cleats to come.
