Mbappé Faces Backlash in China as Sponsors Withdraw Over Mao Meme Remark

Kylian Mbappé is dealing with mounting consequences in China after comments that seemingly referred to Mao Zedong as a dictator. Sponsors have dropped the French striker, and coverage of Spanish football has been disrupted.

On Oct. 26, China's state broadcaster CCTV suspended its coverage of La Liga and of matches involving Mbappé. It also pulled advertisements in which he appeared. His accounts on Xiaohongshu and Weibo were later muted, according to Renmin Ruiping, the online commentary platform of People's Daily. As of Oct. 28, neither a return of the broadcasts nor an end to the account restrictions could be independently confirmed.

The controversy followed the spread of a clip from the French program "The Bridge." In it, Mbappé discussed a meme that placed his face over an image of Mao, the late Communist Party chairman and founding leader of the People's Republic of China. According to Reuters, he said the funniest meme he had seen of himself used the face of "some guy. I think he's a Chinese dictator." Reuters said it could not independently authenticate the video.

Mbappé responded on Oct. 27 with a statement on X, written in Chinese, French and English. He acknowledged that his comments were ill-judged and had hurt many Chinese communities around the world. La Liga also issued a statement expressing deep regret over the hurt caused to Chinese fans, and added that his personal views do not represent the position of the Spanish league.

The apology has not settled the matter. An unnamed representative of China Media Group, speaking on Oct. 27, said: "We will listen to his words, but watch his actions even more closely." The representative urged Mbappé, Real Madrid and La Liga to learn from the episode and mend their ways.

The commercial impact has been swift. Dongpeng Beverage, Mengniu and cheese maker Milkground announced the end of their partnerships with the player, according to company statements compiled by China.org.cn, a state-run web portal and news service. Dongpeng's sports drink brand Bushuila had only named him its ambassador in April this year.

Chinese news outlet Phoenix reported that On and Dior have removed Chinese promotional content featuring Mbappé, though neither had announced a global termination.

Public attention has been intense. Mbappé had roughly a million followers each on Xiaohongshu and Weibo, and Reuters reported that four topics related to him were among Weibo's top 10 searches on Oct. 27.

Official voices have added to the criticism. People's Daily, the official newspaper of the Communist Party's central committee, argued through Renmin Ruiping that celebrities who cross public boundaries can become liabilities for brands. It said profiting from a market while offending its people's cherished history and culture would not be accepted. Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun said the ministry was aware of the reports, adding that "words and actions that hurt the feelings of the Chinese people will naturally be met with joint opposition from all sectors of Chinese society."