diff --git a/instrumentation/reactor/reactor-netty/reactor-netty-1.0/javaagent/src/main/java/io/opentelemetry/javaagent/instrumentation/reactornetty/v1_0/HttpClientInstrumentation.java b/instrumentation/reactor/reactor-netty/reactor-netty-1.0/javaagent/src/main/java/io/opentelemetry/javaagent/instrumentation/reactornetty/v1_0/HttpClientInstrumentation.java
index d3f9fd5ff517..9c1a49585ae8 100644
--- a/instrumentation/reactor/reactor-netty/reactor-netty-1.0/javaagent/src/main/java/io/opentelemetry/javaagent/instrumentation/reactornetty/v1_0/HttpClientInstrumentation.java
+++ b/instrumentation/reactor/reactor-netty/reactor-netty-1.0/javaagent/src/main/java/io/opentelemetry/javaagent/instrumentation/reactornetty/v1_0/HttpClientInstrumentation.java
@@ -85,7 +85,9 @@ public static void onEnter(
             BiConsumer<? super HttpClientRequest, ? super Connection> callback) {
 
       if (DecoratorFunctions.shouldDecorate(callback.getClass())) {
-        callback = new DecoratorFunctions.OnMessageDecorator<>(callback, PropagatedContext.PARENT);
+        // perform the callback with the client span active (instead of the parent) since this
+        // callback occurs after the connection is made
+        callback = new DecoratorFunctions.OnMessageDecorator<>(callback, PropagatedContext.CLIENT);
       }
     }
   }
diff --git a/instrumentation/reactor/reactor-netty/reactor-netty-1.0/javaagent/src/test/java/io/opentelemetry/javaagent/instrumentation/reactornetty/v1_0/AbstractReactorNettyHttpClientTest.java b/instrumentation/reactor/reactor-netty/reactor-netty-1.0/javaagent/src/test/java/io/opentelemetry/javaagent/instrumentation/reactornetty/v1_0/AbstractReactorNettyHttpClientTest.java
index b6a84f5b69c6..a07774c73055 100644
--- a/instrumentation/reactor/reactor-netty/reactor-netty-1.0/javaagent/src/test/java/io/opentelemetry/javaagent/instrumentation/reactornetty/v1_0/AbstractReactorNettyHttpClientTest.java
+++ b/instrumentation/reactor/reactor-netty/reactor-netty-1.0/javaagent/src/test/java/io/opentelemetry/javaagent/instrumentation/reactornetty/v1_0/AbstractReactorNettyHttpClientTest.java
@@ -180,7 +180,7 @@ void shouldExposeContextToHttpClientCallbacks() throws InterruptedException {
               span -> span.hasName("HTTP GET").hasKind(CLIENT).hasParent(parentSpan),
               span -> span.hasName("test-http-server").hasKind(SERVER).hasParent(nettyClientSpan));
 
-          assertSameSpan(parentSpan, onRequestSpan);
+          assertSameSpan(nettyClientSpan, onRequestSpan);
           assertSameSpan(nettyClientSpan, afterRequestSpan);
           assertSameSpan(nettyClientSpan, onResponseSpan);
           assertSameSpan(parentSpan, afterResponseSpan);