It was the 8th minute of the match when the cameras focused their attention on Mbappé and his boot.
In 2019, Mbappé signed a deal with Nike for ten seasons for an amount of 150 million per season. If Real Madrid's official figures are true, Mbappé earns from Nike as much as his salary at his club.
Extra Pay for Mbappé
The contract includes a series of bonuses based on his presence at certain events and specific actions like today's.
Mbappé came out with the laces of one boot broken and stopped the match for two minutes to try to tie them again. Then he changed it for another one.
Mbappé's Nike boot dominated the television broadcast of a match being watched on five continents. The spot is priceless.
Meanwhile, Mbappé will receive the extra reward from his brand, which is stipulated between 500,000 and one million euros.
Real Madrid came out intense and overwhelmed a Manchester City that didn't know how to stop the onslaught coming at them. Mbappé, Vinícius, and Mendy had the goal at their feet in the first ten minutes.
Madrid Didn't Get the Reward for Their Play
It was the Real Madrid of great occasions, with an engaged Mbappé and an eager Vinícius.
But Haaland replied in the 18th minute by scoring his first goal against Real Madrid. Asencio gave in to the Norwegian's push, failing in the jump and leaving the ball at Haaland's disposal to shoot.
There could have been an offside, but the VAR validated it after three minutes of analyzing the play.
Vinícius sent a ball to the post. Mbappé also had a chance, and Valverde launched a powerful shot that went just high.
Far from being scared by the goal against them, Real Madrid stood their ground in a back-and-forth match. They didn't see their nine shots on target rewarded in the first half.
Madrid forgave too much, and City scored on their first chance. But the positive news is that Real Madrid didn't fall apart and stood their ground, pressing the English team.