Kylian Mbappé Apologizes After Mao Zedong ‘Dictator’ Meme Comment Costs Him Chinese Sponsors

Kylian Mbappé has apologized after a remark about a meme portraying him as Mao Zedong prompted several Chinese companies to cut ties with the Real Madrid star.

The 27-year-old France captain, who brushed off an ankle scare during France’s World Cup quarterfinal win over Morocco this summer and has accused former club Paris Saint-Germain of moral harassment, lost deals with beverage maker Dongpeng, dairy giant Mengniu and cheese producer Milkground on Tuesday.

The controversy began with a clip circulating on X that appeared to show Mbappé being interviewed ahead of an appearance on the French online talk show The Bridge. Asked about his favorite meme of himself, he described it as a video of “a guy, I think he was a Chinese dictator.” The clip then cut to an edited image placing Mbappé’s face on Mao’s blue-suited body.

Mao, who founded the People’s Republic of China in 1949 and ruled until his death in 1976, remains revered by many in the country, and jokes about him are widely considered taboo.

In nearly identical statements, the three brands said they oppose any words or actions that “hurt national sentiment.” None directly cited the Mao comment, but the timing left little doubt. Mbappé’s image has been plastered across China, from subway stations to elevators, in campaigns ranging from Dongpeng’s Bushuaila electrolyte drink to a Mengniu ad alongside Lionel Messi.

The fallout went beyond sponsors. China Media Group said it was suspending broadcasts of La Liga matches and other games involving Mbappé, pulling ads featuring him and demanding apologies from both the player and Real Madrid. Social media platform RedNote said it would remove promotional material tied to a content partnership with Mbappé that ended in December 2024, and his account on the app was blocked from gaining new followers.

China’s Foreign Ministry also weighed in, with a spokesperson warning that remarks that hurt Chinese people’s feelings would face opposition from across Chinese society.

On Weibo, hashtags about brands ending their partnerships with Mbappé topped the trending list, alongside calls for soccer fans to boycott the forward.

Mbappé responded quickly, posting an apology on X in French, Chinese and English.

“My comment was ill-judged,” he wrote, adding that he now understands it hurt many people in China and in Chinese communities around the world. He said upsetting anyone “was absolutely not my intention” and that he has “deep respect for the Chinese people and their history.”

La Liga moved swiftly to protect its lucrative television business in China. League president Javier Tebas apologized on X, and the league said the comments were made in a personal capacity and did not reflect La Liga’s views. It also pledged to create a “communication protocol” for players and clubs and to work with partners in China to prevent similar incidents.

Soccer fans have long jokingly called Mbappé a “dictator” because of his outsized influence over his teams, and memes depicting him as Mao and other authoritarian leaders have circulated widely online for years.

The firestorm capped a rough week for the French superstar, who watched Harry Kane win the Ballon d’Or on Monday.