Nike have confirmed that Mason Greenwood is not being sponsored by the brand again after the forward was spotted wearing company boots while playing for Marseille.
The former Manchester United forward has had a positive start to life in France on the field, netting five goal in five games including a brace on his debut.
He left England after he was arrested in January 2022 for allegations of attempted rape, assault and coercive behaviour. However, charges were dropped by the Crown Prosecution Service following the ‘withdrawal of key witnesses and new material coming to light’.
Following the incident, Nike dropped their sponsorship deal with the forward without him receiving a penny of compensation after initially suspending their relationship following his arrest.
Suspicion was raised that a deal had been re-agreed after Greenwood donned yellow and orange Nike boots during his side’s win over Lyon at the weekend. Nike, however, have now rubbished that theory.
Nike have confirmed that Mason Greenwood (right) is not being sponsored by the company
The forward was spotted sporting the brand’s gear during Marseille’s win over Lille at the weekend
Greenwood was sponsored by Nike before he was arrested in January 2022 for allegations of attempted rape, assault and coercive behaviour, with charged dropped
After being contacted by Mail Sport for comment, Nike said: ‘Mason Greenwood is not a Nike athlete.’
Mail Sport understand that a clause in Greenwood’s endorsement deal meant Nike were able to sever all ties without paying him any compensation whatsoever due to reputational damage and loss of commercial value.
Greenwood was due to sign an improved contract with Nike before he was dropped and the decision to drop him potentially cost the player millions.
It’s believed that the only money owing to Greenwood would have been any outstanding bonus payments.
In November 2023, Nike had similarly confirmed that Greenwood was not an athlete for their brand after he took to social media to show off his trainer collection, many of which featured Nike shoes.
He showed off a few pairs of Nike trainers worth £23,000, and also played in old Nike boots while he was on loan at Getafe.
Greenwood has scored five goals in as many games for Marseille since his £30million move from Manchester United
Greenwood completed a £30million move to Marseille from Manchester United in July after spending a season on loan at Getafe. However, his move to Marseille was marred with controversy.
The mayor of Marseille Benoit Payan publicly opposed the signing of Greenwood during the summer. But, club president Longoria remained confident Marseille made the right decision.
He claimed they his side believe in the ‘talent’ of Greenwood after manager Roberto De Zerbi first suggested the idea of signing him.