Kylian Mbappe apologized on Tuesday after comments about Chinese revolutionary leader Mao Zedong sparked a backlash in China, prompting major brands to end sponsorship deals with the Real Madrid forward and reports that state television had suspended broadcasts of Spanish La Liga matches.
The controversy erupted after a video circulated online showing Mbappe describing an internet meme featuring his face superimposed on that of a man he identified as a Chinese dictator. The remark appeared to refer to Mao, whose image remains deeply sensitive in China.
The authenticity of the video could not immediately be verified by Agence France-Presse (AFP) Fact Check.
“My comment was ill-judged, and I now understand that it hurt many people in China and in Chinese communities around the world. I apologise to everyone my words have upset,” the France captain said in a statement published in French, Chinese and English.
La Liga also issued an apology, distancing the Spanish league from the comments.
“It deeply regrets the offence that Kylian Mbappe’s recent comments have caused among Chinese fans,” the league said. “These comments were made in a personal capacity and do not represent La Liga.”
The fallout quickly spread to the commercial sphere, with Chinese beverage company Dongpeng, dairy producer Mengniu and cheesemaker Milkground announcing that they were ending their partnerships with the 27-year-old forward.
Dongpeng, which used AI-generated images of Mbappe drinking its sports beverage in advertising campaigns during this year’s World Cup, said it had terminated its cooperation with the player.
“Our company firmly opposes and has a zero-tolerance policy towards any behaviour that offends national sentiments,” the company said in a statement.
Mengniu, China’s largest dairy producer, and Milkground also confirmed they were cutting ties with Mbappe, who had enjoyed a substantial following among Chinese football fans.
The backlash dominated discussions on Chinese social media platform Weibo. The hashtag “Dongpeng Beverage ends cooperation with Mbappe” accumulated 430 million views, while some users demanded that the company remove the forward’s image from its products.
One user said Mbappe’s “extremely serious wrong remarks” had crossed a red line. Dongqiudi, one of China’s largest online football platforms, also condemned the comments as offensive to China and its people.
The controversy extended to the broadcast of Spanish football. State media outlet The Paper, citing sources at state broadcaster CCTV, reported that the network had suspended La Liga broadcasts and removed advertisements featuring Mbappe.
However, La Liga matches scheduled for the weekend remained listed on CCTV’s online viewing schedule, leaving the extent of any broadcast suspension unclear.
China’s Foreign Ministry acknowledged the reports surrounding the French forward, who finished runner-up to England striker Harry Kane in Monday’s Ballon d’Or vote.
“Words and actions that hurt the feelings of the Chinese people will naturally be met with unanimous rejection from all sectors of Chinese society,” ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun said at a regular briefing.
Mao, who died in 1976, remains a revered figure in official Chinese political narratives, making jokes or critical references to him particularly sensitive. Historians have also attributed mass starvation and millions of deaths to policies implemented under his leadership.
Mbappe had previously acknowledged the darker implications of memes portraying him as a military dictator. In a September interview with French sports newspaper L’Equipe, he discussed an earlier image depicting him in that role.
“There’s a part of it that’s funny ... but there is another part that’s a bit less funny because of the damage such people have caused throughout history,” he said.
The latest controversy reflects a broader pattern in which international sports figures have faced commercial repercussions in China over comments involving politically sensitive issues, including Taiwan, Tibet and Hong Kong.
In 2019, China suspended sponsorship agreements with the NBA, while state broadcaster CCTV stopped airing NBA games for about a year after Houston Rockets executive Daryl Morey posted “Fight for freedom, stand with Hong Kong” on social media. Beijing had condemned the Hong Kong protests as separatist and seditious.
Before Mbappe issued his apology, Adam Zhang, founder of Beijing-based sports consultancy Key-Solution Sports Consulting, said a swift response was essential to containing the damage.
“It’s crucial to make a sincere statement. The sooner, the better,” Zhang told AFP.
For some Chinese fans, however, the incident had already damaged the forward’s standing.
“I used to really enjoy watching Mbappe play on the pitch,” Zhang Jingqi, a 30-year-old Beijing mall employee, said.
“But ever since this news broke yesterday I have lost that admiration, sorry to say.”
