Who are Nike’s top players at the Qatar 2022 World Cup? Ronaldo, Mbappe

With 3.6 billion people tuning in for the last World Cup in 2018, the occasion presents an unparalleled exposure option for stars of the international game. Across 64 games, the tournament posted an average audience of 191 million. Gianni Infantino, the FIFA president, stated in May that he anticipates 5 billion viewers for the 2022 tournament in Qatar.

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The biggest sports equipment manufacturing brands herd the World Cup and players, filming high-production ads, and try to enter in every manner possible into the event’s sponsorship side.

Also, Qatar 2022 promises to be a mix of potential final appearances for a group of iconic stars, with immense commercial value for the brands they represent and the emergence of an exciting new generation of talent.

NIKE’s star-studded World Cup team

For the last 30 years, NIKE’s World Cup commercial was awaited by the public and even got this iconic status, where one could relate to the start of the World Cup football craze only after their latest commercial was out. Usually filled with the biggest stars of international football, the Oregon brand played very wisely with those mini-movies and the content they were offering to promote the latest shoe model or a fabric material used in their sponsored national team’s uniforms.

They never had a problem paying the best cinematographers and directors to film these works of art because the investment always had multiple returns. The football stars also benefited from these commercials because their market value corresponded with the chance and notoriety to be part of them. It sometimes influences their professional contracts with the teams they are playing for.

Kylian Mbappé

The world’s highest-paid soccer player is no stranger to the World Cup. Just four years ago, he enabled France to win the tournament for the first time since 1998. Qatar 2022 could be a special moment for the now-23-year-old superstar, directing to a new surge of popularity and, potentially, an even bigger payday. Mbappé is potentially the face of the World Cup, and if France does okay, sponsorship appeal will further skyrocket.

Kylian Mbappé is one of the most financially prosperous players in the sport, and Forbes estimates he will earn $128 million for the 2022-23 season before taxes and agents’ fees. NIKE, who signed the french superstar when he was only 14 years old, in 2019 penned a 10-year contract deal worth $140m in total payments.

Cristiano Ronaldo

Since Cristiano Ronaldo joined Manchester United in 2003, he only wore boots from the American Sportswear brand. Nike and Cristiano Ronaldo mutually settled to expand the contract. Cristiano Ronaldo’s Nike Boot Deal extension was announced in 2016.

After being with the sportswear brand since 2003, Cristiano Ronaldo signed a lifetime contract worth $950m with Nike in 2016. With this deal, CR7 became the third athlete to sign a lifetime deal with Nike, along with Michael Jordan and LeBron James.

Kevin De Bruyne

Kevin De Bruyne is considered the best midfielder in the world by football fans and pundits, although we didn’t see much of that in the opening games for Belgium at this year’s World Cup played in Qatar.

Kevin De Bruyne signed a seven-year endorsement contract with the sportswear brand Nike in 2015 when he used to play for Wolfsburg.

Marcus Rashford

Rashford is a Manchester United academy graduate with 88 goals for the club and counting – including 21 last season. He will likely sign a new Red Devils contract in the next 12 months, and his current deal only runs until 2023.

In 2021, Marcus Rashford extended his agreement with sports brand Nike - a partnership he has been involved in since the age of 11. The forward wears Nike boots during matches and promotes the company’s clothing wear. There are no available figures for the sums of money involved in the agreement., but it has to be noted that in 2021 PUMA was interested in signing Rashford, but he rejected their offer of $20m per year and chose to stay loyal to NIKE.