Nike loses Christian Pulisic to Puma

Soccer star Christian Pulisic is trading in his Nike cleats for a fresh set of PUMAs after announcing a new brand partnership with the athletic sportswear giant on Monday.

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Pulisic, the youngest ever captain of the U.S. Men's National Team and the first American-born winner of the UEFA Champions League, said in an Instagram post Monday that he is ready to "start a new chapter and create new memories." 

"Today I’m joining a new family, the #PUMAFam and together we are going to inspire the next generation of players out there," he said.

PUMA's global director of sports marketing, Johan Adamsson, said in a statement that Pulisic has "paved the way for so many young American players who dream of playing in Europe for the world’s biggest clubs." 

"Christian is technically gifted, has lightning speed and quickness of thought to change any game," Adamsson continued. "Not only have we signed an amazing talent, but a fantastic person off the pitch who wants to continue to grow soccer in America, a goal PUMA has committed to support."

A representative for PUMA declined to comment on the financial terms of the deal.

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Pulisic told Complex that the switch from Nike was an "easy choice" to make that will give him more freedom to express his ideas. 

"I mean one of their biggest points and another massive reason why that seemed like an easy choice is because yeah, they want me to give my ideas, talk about what I like and that they want to see that and use that as well," he told the outlet. 

To celebrate the new partnership, PUMA has teamed up with boot customizer Silni to produce a special pair of customized Pulisic ULTRA 1.3’s. 

"It’s a really cool graphic that they did for me," Pulisic said of the shoe's design. "And I was blown away right when I saw it to mix with the name and the brand."

The new kicks will debut during the UEFA's Super Cup final on Aug. 11.