Kylian Mbappé walks away from €20m per year Nike contract to cash in On even bigger deal

The big sports business story from last week was Kylian Mbappé’s decision to part company with Nike after a lucrative relationship that stretched back to when he was just eight, close to 20 years ago. The Real Madrid man has instead opted to join Swiss sportswear and sports shoe company On, who number Roger Federer among their investors. They are now attempting to get a chunky slice of the football market having made inroads into the tennis world, appointing Thierry Henry as their first director of football. According to L’Equipe, Nike were so eager to keep hold of Mbappé, they offered him … ready for this? … a 10-year contract worth more than €20 million per year. In case you’re worried the French captain will now go hungry having turned that down, he’s been given a stake in On, now said to be worth €20 billion. Federer was given a stake too when he joined up. How much is it worth now? Around the €500 million mark. No flies on Kylian.Apology of the weekOxford United's (now binned) 'United 93' clothing collection. Undoubtedly the one Oxford United had to offer after a bit of an issue with their new range of clothing – called the “Campus Collection” – designed to commemorate the founding of the club in 1893. READ MOREWhat was stamped all over the clothing? “United 93”. The problem? Yes, “United 93” is better know as the hijacked 9/11 flight that crashed in Pennsylvania in 2001, resulting in the deaths of 44 people. Cripes, they even called the film about the flight “United 93”.“Oxford United would like to sincerely apologise for the recent launch of the Campus Collection,” read their statement. “The range was released without understanding of the historical context and associations. It should not have reached the point of sale and we take full responsibility for not undertaking proper due diligence. We have removed the collection with immediate effect and are reviewing our approval processes to ensure nothing like this happens again.”So, the entire range has been binned. A costly, and somewhat goofy, error. Townsend rolling with the punchesFormer England winger Andros Townsend suffered an unfortunate accident while warming up for PT Prachuap before their Thai League fixture with Pattani. pic.twitter.com/vKrPSJmlA1— Troll Football Media (@TrollFootball2) September 19, 2026 When you’re run over by a pitch roller before a league game in Thailand. As the victim, former England international Andros Townsend, put it: “It turns out playing Stoke away wasn’t so bad after all.” Mercifully, the lad was unhurt. Hopefully the driver has had his licence cancelled. Quote“Are you Tottenham in disguise?”As if Arsenal didn’t suffer enough against Brighton, they were serenaded with this. Number: 15That’s how million (in euro) Coventry City will pay in wages this season – just the €190 million less than Arsenal, who top the salary list. Generous.Word of Mouth Quiz host: “The Hungarian Rhapsodies were composed by Franz who?”Contestant: “Beckenbauer.”A rather stupendous answer from a contestant on Australia’s The Chase, as heard by a Private Eye reader. “I know a footballer who reads is unusual. But I feel like I’m a very old soul. Like I belong to the past. Now everyone is obsessed with social media, everything is materialistic, and romance is almost nonexistent. I think the world has gone downhill.”An upbeat Anthony Gordon.“You can buy a donkey for £200m and a very good player for £20m. There is no sense any more.”Sunderland’s Thomas Meunier, befuddled by the transfer market. “He signed a five-year contract with Tottenham – a genuine robbery, without even needing to wear a mask. It is incredible.”How highly does former French international Christophe Dugarry rate Roberto De Zerbi? Eh …“We knew the visit was going to be tough. It was a bit like going to the dentist – it hurts.”Racing Santander manager José Alberto López after that 7-2 throttling by Barcelona.“I need a word with EA. They took two ratings off me. I had one leg for 10 months last season, what do you want me to do?”A highly peeved Cole Palmer after EA Sports reduced his rating from 87 to 85 in their latest release. “I texted a friend after the match and I just wrote: ‘I regret that I didn’t eat some grass after the match to keep something from this in my body forever.’”Thomas Tuchel ruing not doing some grazing at the Azteca after that World Cup win over Mexico.