Adidas vs Puma

Adidas and Puma began as the same family business in Herzogenaurach, Germany. Adolf “Adi” Dassler concentrated on designing and producing shoes, while Rudolf “Rudi” Dassler handled more of the company’s sales and commercial work. Their relationship deteriorated as the business grew and during World War II, when Rudolf entered military service while Adi continued managing the factory.

After the war, Rudolf accused Adi of contributing to his internment by Allied authorities; Adi denied the accusation. No single final cause of their split has been firmly established. In 1948, Rudolf established the company that became Puma. Adi registered Adidas the following year.

The split divided more than the family business. Adidas and Puma operated on opposite sides of Herzogenaurach, and employees, families, shops and sports clubs often developed loyalties to one company or the other.

The brothers no longer worked together and communicated largely through representatives and lawyers. Both companies competed for athletes, teams, product claims and recognition in major sporting events.

Puma launched its Super Atom football boot with screw-in studs in 1952. Seven 1. FC Kaiserslautern players wore Puma boots when the club won the 1953 German championship. In 1954, West Germany won the World Cup in lightweight Adidas boots with changeable studs, giving Adidas worldwide publicity.

In 1958, Puma obtained a court order stopping Adidas from advertising its products as “the best sports shoes in the world.” The ruling was a direct legal confrontation between the two companies.

Later accounts describe an informal agreement before the 1970 World Cup under which Adidas and Puma would avoid signing Pelé because a bidding contest could become too expensive. Puma nevertheless signed him. No contemporaneous public copy of the reported agreement is known.

The personal family feud faded after Rudolf Dassler died in 1974 and Adi Dassler died in 1978. On September 21, 2009, employees from Adidas and Puma played a joint football match in Herzogenaurach. The companies described it as their first joint activity since the original business split.

Adidas and Puma remain commercial competitors, but they no longer conduct a comparable public family feud. Their continuing competition includes products, athletes, football sponsorships and executive recruitment. Adidas appointed former Puma CEO Bjørn Gulden as chief executive in 2023, while Puma appointed former Adidas sales chief Arthur Hoeld as CEO in 2025.