Nike’s “Rip – Nike’s six-minute “Rip the Script” short film is being passed around by World Cup fans who can’t stop talking about its message: ditch the playbook and play with instinct. The ad blends stars from today and legends from the past, with cameos that stretch well
By the time the video starts, the premise is already clear: this isn’t a soccer ad where everyone follows the same moves.
Nike’s short film “Rip the Script” arrives as a six-minute ode to football lovers. and it’s structured like a dare. In it, French forward Kylian Mbappé shows up for a soccer advertisement and flat-out refuses to follow a script. Then he’s joined by other players who “go off-script. ” tearing through a recording studio while running around with a soccer ball.
Nike describes the film as a “rallying cry for football lovers everywhere to ditch the playbook and embrace attacking, creative, instinctive and joyful football.” The company also positions the piece as both a heartfelt message and an advertisement for Nike Football products.
Nike’s words keep circling back to one idea: the game is at its best when players trust their instincts. The short film is also meant to serve as “a reminder that the game is at its best when players trust their gut.”
That message is landing with fans far beyond the studio set. Alongside the film’s release. World Cup audiences are debating a different kind of “best” altogether—whether Kylian Mbappé could ever pass Leo Messi as the soccer GOAT. In New Jersey, soccer fans are sharing their takes on the question of who sits at the top.
The cast is built for those conversations. “Rip the Script” features current soccer stars including Cristiano Ronaldo, Kylian Mbappé, Erling Haaland and Vini Jr. It also pulls in retired legends: Eric Cantona, Ronaldinho, Zlatan Ibrahimović, Didier Drogba and Jorge Campos.
And then it widens even further. The video includes cameos from celebrities such as Kim Kardashian, LeBron James, Travis Scott, Ted Lasso, Kate Scott, Channing Tatum, Young Miko and LISA.
There’s a simple reason the film feels designed to go viral: it turns football’s personality into the premise. Instead of selling “perfect execution,” it sells the idea of improvisation—players breaking character, momentum spilling into chaos, and the sport’s joy taking center stage.
For viewers trying to find it fast, the short film is available on Nike’s official YouTube channel.
Nike Rip the Script World Cup Kylian Mbappé Cristiano Ronaldo Erling Haaland Vini Jr Eric Cantona Ronaldinho Zlatan Ibrahimović Didier Drogba Jorge Campos Kim Kardashian LeBron James Travis Scott Channing Tatum Young Miko LISA Nike Football
Why is this even a Nike ad like… just let people watch soccer. Rip the script sounds like a school thing.
I saw like 10 clips of this and thought it was saying don’t play defense?? Mbappé refusing the “script” made it sound kinda chaotic. Also how is Kim Kardashian in a soccer commercial lol
GOAT talk is the whole point anyway. They got Messi in there or not? Everyone keeps saying Mbappé is gonna pass Messi like it’s already written, but Messi is Messi. Then they throw Ronaldo and Haaland in the mix and I’m like ok sure that’s not confusing at all.
The video is cool but I’m skeptical because it’s literally marketing. Like “trust your gut” is just a slogan to sell cleats, right? Still, the studio scene where they’re running around with balls had me laughing. Also Travis Scott?? random but I guess it works for the algorithm. If you don’t follow the playbook, you still need a coach… not sure how that’s gonna translate on the field.