Kylian Mbappe switched into a vibrant Nike Mercurial Superfly VIII design last night as France drew 1-1 with Bosnia & Herzegovina in their 2022 World Cup Qualifying match. But rather than an upcoming colourway or signature series for the PSG striker, it's actually a Nike By You project.
Nike By You (formerly known as NikeiD) is Nike's customisation platform where any player can log on and create their own custom colourway with a number of different personalisation options, but these weren't design by the Frenchman. The eye-catching Green, Red and Gold combination was a concept created by young American fan Brenijia Barnes whose design caught the eye through the work of non-profit organisation Street Soccer USA who invited young ballers to design a boot for the rapid forward.
Mbappe has been involved in the project from the start and shared the original sketches by Barnes on his Instagram Story before showing and wearing the final result for real in the Qualifier last night. If you're wondering what the WATTS text is on the boot this is inspired by Street Soccer USA, which opened in 2018, and serves as a facility where young adults and families in Watts Housing Projects can discover their purpose, while developing their talents with the help of top industry and business professionals.
Mbappe is expected to switch back into the Nike Motivation Pack colourway when he returns to domestic football with PSG.
