Even though Cristiano Ronaldo‘s previous European clubs had different sponsors, Nike sponsored his Portugal kits. This will, however, be a story of the past soon. Puma will reportedly sponsor Portugal’s kits and what about Al Nassr? They inked a deal with Nike only in 2023. Nevertheless, Al Nassr is also severing ties with Nike to welcome Adidas from the 2024-25 season. Rumors about tension between Nike and CR7 are also in the air. Amid the chaos, the American sporting giant is opening a new chapter with Karim Benzema and Co., as it seems.

As per Al-Riyadiah, Nike has inked a 3-year deal with the Benzema-led Saudi side, Al Ittihad. Nike has been sponsoring Al Ittihad’s kits since 2022. They again renewed the contract with the Saudi side in 2023. So this now seems like another big contract renewal! Al Ittihad has used Nike jerseys in the past during the 2007-08 season and from 2010 to 2012. The financials of Nike’s latest Al Ittihad deal are not mentioned in the report. As of now, Al Nassr and Al Ittihad are the only Saudi Pro League clubs that have Nike as their shirt sponsor.

But with Al Nassr set to shake hands with Adidas next season, Benzema’s side will remain the only club on Phil Knight’s Saudi footprint. So why is Nike walking away from their Al Nassr deal, despite their long partnership with Cristiano Ronaldo? Let’s find out.

A glimpse inside Nike’s deal that went awry with Cristiano Ronaldo and Al Nassr

Nike and Al Nassr ended their deal because the shirt manufacturer was reportedly unable to offer more outlets to sell jerseys and merchandise to fans around the world. This forced Al Nassr to ink a 3-year deal, running through 2024-27 with Adidas. Besides Nike’s reported operational inability, a Cristiano Ronaldo fiasco has also supposedly upset the sporting goods manufacturer.

Ronaldo has a lifetime $1 billion deal with Nike. As per the deal, the Portuguese veteran is not allowed to publicly wear an accessory produced by a different brand. However, in a move that risked a contract breach, Ronaldo used Adidas’ Adidas X Pro shinpads during a 2023 pre-season friendly against Celta Vigo. CR7 usually uses a customized Nike shinpad during games. The company was unhappy with this walk-away from the norm.

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Per rumors, CR7’s shinpad gesture has had a domino effect on Nike and Al Nassr parting ways.

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