Kylian Mbappé faces China backlash as sponsors cut ties over viral meme

TOPSHOT - People walk past a bus featuring French football star Kylian Mbappe for Dongpeng Beverage Group's "Bushuila" electrolyte drink on a street in Shanghai on October 27, 2026. Kylian Mbappe was dropped on October 27 by two major brands in China after a video circulated online in which the French football star apparently joked about former leader Mao Zedong. (Photo by Jade GAO / AFP via Getty Images)

Jade Gao | Afp | Getty Images

Kylian Mbappé is facing growing fallout in China over remarks apparently referring to Mao Zedong as a dictator, with sponsors dropping the French striker and Spanish football broadcasts disrupted.

China’s state broadcaster CCTV has warned that Mbappé’s apology will ultimately be judged by his actions.

“We will listen to his words, but watch his actions even more closely,” an unnamed China Media Group representative said on Oct. 27, urging Mbappé, Real Madrid and La Liga to learn from the incident and mend their ways.

A day earlier, the broadcaster had suspended La Liga coverage and matches involving the French forward, while also pulling advertisements in which he appeared.

His social media accounts on Xiaohongshu and Weibo were also subsequently muted, according to Renmin Ruiping, People's Daily's online commentary platform.

Neither a resumption of broadcasts nor the lifting of the account restrictions could be independently confirmed as of Oct. 28.

The backlash followed the circulation of a clip from French program "The Bridge," in which Mbappé discussed a meme depicting his face superimposed onto Mao, the late Chinese communist party chairman and founding leader of the People's Republic of China.

In the clip, Mbappé said the funniest meme he had seen of himself showed his face superimposed onto that of “some guy—I think he’s a Chinese dictator,” according to a report by Reuters.

Reuters said it could not independently authenticate the video.

The football star has since apologized in Chinese, French and English in a statement on X on Oct. 27, acknowledging that his comments were ill-judged and have hurt many Chinese communities around the world.

I have deep respect for the Chinese people and their history, and I am sincerely sorry.

Kylian Mbappé

Real Madrid Forward

La Liga also issued an official statement expressing deep regret over the hurt caused to Chinese fans by Mbappé's remarks, adding that his personal views do not represent the Spanish league's position.

The commercial fallout has also been swift.

Dongpeng Beverage, Mengniu and cheese maker Milkground announced the termination of their partnerships with Mbappé, according to company statements compiled by China.org.cn, a state-run web portal and news service.

Dongpeng’s sports drink brand Bushuila had unveiled him as its ambassador only in April this year.

Meanwhile, On and Dior have also reportedly removed Chinese promotional content featuring Mbappé, although neither had announced a global termination, according to Chinese news outlet Phoenix.

The Real Madrid star had about a million followers on Xiaohongshu and Weibo each, with Reuters reporting that four topics relating to the football star were among Weibo's top 10 searches on Oct. 27.

People’s Daily, the official newspaper of the Chinese communist party’s central committee, reinforced the criticism through its online commentary platform Renmin Ruiping.

The commentary argued that celebrities who cross public boundaries can become liabilities for brands, and that profiting from a market while offending its people's cherished history and culture would not be accepted.

China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman Guo Jiakun also addressed the controversy as well, noting that the ministry was aware of the reports.

"Words and actions that hurt the feelings of the Chinese people will naturally be met with joint opposition from all sectors of Chinese society," he added.