Has German soccer been hit hard by the Adidas snub? After seven decades of support by the three-striped talisman, the German national team suddenly decides to ditch the long-standing sponsor. Sure, everybody knows that big deals come and go. But shouldn´t Adidas forever be part of the German DNA?
The country´s football history is full of powerful performances by both the men and women wearing Adidas, while winning World Cups and European Championships, stretching way back to 1954. But now (in 2027 to be precise), Adidas gets the boot by American monster Nike.
The End of A 77-Year Honeymoon
On March 21, 2024, the German Football Federation abruptly announced the end of the 77-year sweet dream. “The Deutscher Fußball-Bund (DFB) will enter into an equipment partnership with Nike Inc. from 2027 to 2034. Nike will supply equipment to all DFB national teams and promote German football in its entirety,” the association sheepishly admitted.
At least the Germans will have one more chance to do right by their own national brand. The 2026 World Cup, to take place on American, Canadian, and Mexican soil, will be the final hurrah for Adidas and Germany. Until 2034 that is, when the global sponsorship carousel whirls again, giving Adidas yet another shot.
The Humble Beginnings of Adidas
Begun in a small town in Bavaria back in 1924 by none other than Adi Dassler, ´the Mark with Three Stripes´ became a planetary icon in sports shoes and apparel. Adi started by building the brand in his mom´s washroom no less. Curiously, Adi feuded with his brother Rudolf for various reasons.
What were the motives for the brotherly bust-up? Ill will between their respective wives, who didn´t see eye to eye, but were forced to live in the same villa, was one. Rudolf’s suspicion that his brother Adi was to blame for his drafting into the army also mounted. Consequently, Rudolf was imprisoned by the Allies for a period. Finally, the latter struck back by founding rival brand Puma after the war in the late 1940s.
Also Read: Luis Enrique Leaves Kylian Mbappe Speechless After Substituting Him in PSG’s Match Against Marseille
Beyond Brands: Franz Beckenbauer, ´The Kaiser´
No image of grit and perseverance was ever more appropriate than the German captain ´The Kaiser´ (The General), Franz Beckenbauer, battling against Italy in the 1970 World Cup semifinal in his soiled uniform (ironically made by Erima, an Adidas subsidiary), with his mangled arm in a sling. By the way, how exactly do you play (very well, for that matter) in a crucial international game with a dislocated shoulder?
More than the mystique of any brand, Beckenbauer represented the best that German football has to offer. His game oozed class and good sportmanship. Besides Brazilian Mário Zagallo, Franz was the second individual ever to win the World Cup both as a player and head coach. The giant Beckenbauer followed his friend Pelé to a better place at the tender age of 78 in January of this year.
Overall, Adidas accompanied the German men´s team to World Cup triumphs in 1954, 1974, 1990, and 2014. The German women, wearing Adidas, beat the world in 2003 and 2007. Now let´s see what Nike can do for Germany. If the brand itself could only guarantee improved performance and just a few more coveted Cups.