Nike Football’s new ad addresses the madness of the game

It’s long been stated that there is a link between genius and madness, and this is the premise behind Nike Football’s latest commercial, titled Awaken Your Madness.

Starring three masters of the modern game, the spot focuses on the lengths that Mbappé, Vini Jr and Haaland will go to in order to perform at the highest level. Starting from a young age, this includes tactics, superstitions and extreme health techniques.

The ad features a suitably glitchy, unhinged vibe, which comes to a head when the three players find themselves launched into a stadium, where they are greeted by the ‘godfather of footballing brilliance’, Ronaldinho, who points out that true footballing madness comes when you play that way “when the world is watching”.

The ad arrives for the Euros, though Nike is not an official sponsor, and in fact Mbappé is the only star from the spot that is taking part (after Haaland’s Norway failed to qualify). Vinicius Junior will be taking to the world’s stage in the Copa América, which starts next week.