Thierry Henry reveals how the ambitious Kylian Mbappé project went from a dream to reality

 Thierry Henry (Les Ulis, France, 1977) plays a key role in the leadership structure at sportswear brand On, driving its innovation and sustainability strategy. His first major move has been to make Kylian Mbappé the face of the project. Henry sat down with AS to discuss the modern game.

The sportswear market is incredibly complex and competitive, and you’ve signed Mbappé...

It’s fantastic, really, to be able to try to attract players and then go beyond that in terms of developing the brand and truly being part of the whole thing. The first one is Kylian. I think he’s the best. Not a bad first signing, that’s for sure.

How did you pull it off?

First of all, you have to come with something that’s attractive to the player. If you look at the boots and how they’re made, it takes three minutes: a thermoplastic filament is continuously sprayed around and inside them. There’s a robotic arm with a foot and a midsole on the end, and then it rotates around it. What you see is the thermoplastic filament wrapping around it. Three minutes, just 30 grams... It’s going to be the lightest boot of them all.

And they’re white, too...

Yes. Joking aside, you have to come with something you can actually present to someone like Kylian. Because if all you do is talk about what you’re going to do...

But sportswear is a very difficult market. You’ve got the big brands: Adidas, Nike and all the rest...

It’s not really about that. Speaking to some of his teammates and, with all due humility and respect, we’re trying to do what we can do. Obviously it’s a competition and we all know that, but we’re trying to focus on what we can do and on making an impact with Kylian.

Is the player involved?

Kylian is involved in developing the boots, whether that’s the fabrics or any other product he’s going to be involved with and has to use. We’re trying to stay true to ourselves and make the best possible product, with the best possible quality. I know we’re talking about Kylian and making an impact on the game, but if we’re talking about making an impact on the game, we also have to talk about women’s soccer.

What are you going to do in that area?

Most of the time, women play soccer in men’s boots, which aren’t really designed for them. So we also want to work closely with Sydney Schertenleib to try to develop the best possible boots for women. Obviously Kylian is here and, as you said, that’s extraordinary. But the impact is on soccer and, if you’re talking about soccer, you have to include the women’s game. It’s hugely important. If we’re talking globally, this is really where we’re going to start. Kylian is here, but the 2027 World Cup in Brazil is also very important. Kylian is here, Sydney is here, and it’s about making an impact on the game. If we’re talking about the game, then we absolutely have to talk about women’s soccer.

How important is technology to soccer players?

You know that feel-good factor? You have to feel good. When we talk about touching the ball, you want that second-skin sensation. As I always say, even though it’s obviously impossible, I wish you could play barefoot. If I could have played barefoot but with studs underneath my feet, that would have been the best feeling. That’s as close as you can get. And, most importantly, the main man has to feel comfortable. He has to feel great in what he’s wearing.

Why didn’t he debut them against Atlético?

Basically, the boots will be ready in 2027. Kylian has a pair that, as you saw in training, he can use. But above all, he needs to feel comfortable. We don’t put pressure on anyone. The deadline is 2027. If he wants to wear them before then, we also understand his situation and the mental adjustment he needs to make, but we don’t put that kind of pressure on our player. He’s continuing to develop the boots with us and seeing how we can get to the point where he feels comfortable enough to use them before he has to.

Does this technology help you play better?

Well, I don’t know because I don’t play anymore. But I can’t test them at the level Kylian can. You and I can test something, but then you add him into the equation, the way he moves, his power, his engine... That’s what I mean. It’s about him, how he needs to feel and taking the product to another level.

There are so many people involved. I have to talk about the team because to create something in around 10 months, attract Kylian and present him with a boot in that timeframe... That’s very fast. The team deserves enormous credit for being able to get the current collection ready. As you said, this is big. We’re entering a huge market, but we’re going to try to do it our way, without chasing trends.

We’ll have our own way of thinking: unity and togetherness, with Kylian and Sydney working on the product. We’ll see what comes next. Obviously, there are other things we’re not telling you about that could happen. But yes, as you said, to be able to come onto the scene with Kylian Mbappé is absolutely crazy. When I first came into this building, there wasn’t even a boot yet. It was a dream we had thought about, and now we’re living it.

What did you think when Kylian came here and signed the contract? He’s one of the biggest stars in the world.

I’ll be honest: it wasn’t even that. For me, simply being in contact with him and having the opportunity for him to listen to us already told us that we weren’t that far away. You know you’re doing something right because he was interested in what we were offering him.

It was also about giving him some leadership. We’re talking about Kylian Mbappé. He knows what he wants to wear and how he wants to wear it. Why wouldn’t you give him the opportunity to play an important role in creating what he wants to use and deciding how he wants to use it? He’s done enough in soccer to deserve that.

He started listening to us and then you start dreaming: “Is this really going to happen?” But now is when everything begins. We have to make sure everything goes well. There will be some obstacles along the way. Nothing is perfect or follows a straight line, but as long as we stay together...

Someone asked me earlier what my dream would be or what I’d like to see in the future. For me, you need that identity, that philosophy and that feeling that comes from within. I don’t want to let my