5 most valuable Nike-sponsored footballers right now (2021)
The Nike swoosh is one of the world's most instantly recognizable symbols.
Thanks to its global appeal, the American brand enjoys an evergreen status across a variety of sports internationally.
In the football arena, Nike has maintained long and fruitful associations with some of the sport's greatest stars. Global icons such as Cristiano Ronaldo, Thierry Henry, Roberto Carlos and Luis Figo have all been poster boys for Nike at different times.
In 2021, Nike shifted its commercial focus to preserving associations with its current signees. This means they no longer roll out the red carpet for each and every emerging star, showing their ambition to sign only the very best in order to preserve a niche eliteness.
On that note, let's take a quick look at 5 most valuable Nike-sponsored footballers right now.
Note: All value stats have been obtained from Transfermarkt.com
#5 Romelu Lukaku โ โฌ100 million
28-year-old Belgian forward Romelu Lukaku is one of football and Nike's most exclusive superstar strikers.
Lukaku previously played for Manchester United, Everton and West Bromwich Albion before leaving England in search of greener pastures abroad. The Belgian is now back in England after a trophy-winning spell at Inter Milan, which convinced Chelsea to pay a club-record ยฃ97.5 million transfer fee for him.
Lukaku is also the Belgium National Football Team's all-time top scorer with 68 goals to his name. It is a record that he will surely be able to improve on, as his presence in the team is an integral part of manager Roberto Martinez's setup.
Romelu Lukaku wears the Nike Phantom GT 2 Elite DF and is currently the world's sixth most valuable player at โฌ100.00m.
Romelu Lukaku scored his first goals for Belgium 11 years ago today ๐ง๐ช
At international level heโs outscored:
๐จ๐ฎ Didier Drogba
๐บ๐พ Luis Suarez
๐ธ๐ช Zlatan Ibrahimovic
๐ช๐ธ David Villa
๐จ๐ฒ Samuel Etoโo
๐ด๓ ง๓ ข๓ ฅ๓ ฎ๓ ง๓ ฟ Wayne Rooney
๐ซ๐ท Thierry Henry
Put some respect on his name ๐ https://t.co/Jk3svlaLt5
#4 Jack Grealish โ โฌ100.00m
Jack Grealish is one of the most highly rated English superstars to be sponsored by Nike. He has been associated with the American brand since his early days in the sport.
Grealish recently moved from Aston Villa to join English champions Manchester City in a deal worth ยฃ100m, a new Premier League record. The player is renowned for his unparalleled playmaking abilities, a penchant for finding space and an eye for goal.
Thanks to his remarkable displays at Villa, Grealish finally earned a transfer to a club where he can challenge for major trophies.
He is currently valued at โฌ100.00m and wears the Nike Phantom GT Elite 2 with his socks low.
Get your own pair now on the Nike Football App. Can't wait to be wearing these.
#NikeFootball #Hypervenom https://t.co/hAvQhoXCHC