Mbappé apologizes after comparing himself to Mao and losing Chinese sponsors
Kylian Mbappé apologized for a joke about Mao Zedong after three Chinese companies ended their endorsement deals with the French soccer star.
Soccer star Kylian Mbappé has apologized for remarks that appeared to refer to Mao Zedong, the founding leader of Communist China, as a dictator, after the comments drew backlash and led three Chinese companies to end their endorsement deals with him. In a statement released Tuesday, Mbappé said his comment « was ill-judged » and that he understood it had hurt many people in China and in Chinese communities around the world.
« I apologize to everyone my words have upset, » he said. « This was absolutely not my intention. I have deep respect for the Chinese people and their history, and I am sincerely sorry. »
The companies that ended their agreements were beverage maker Dongpeng, dairy giant Mengniu and cheese maker Milkground. In similarly worded statements released Tuesday, each said it opposed « any words and actions that hurt national sentiment ». The companies did not specify what prompted their decisions, but their announcements came after a clip circulated on X showing Mbappé being interviewed ahead of his appearance on the French online talk show The Bridge.
In the clip, Mbappé was asked about his favorite meme of himself. He replied that it was a video someone made of a man whom he believed was a Chinese dictator, and the video then displayed an altered image of Mbappé's face on the blue-suited body of Mao Zedong. Mbappé smiled as the show cut to the meme, according to a report of the interview. Soccer fans online often jokingly call Mbappé a dictator, given his prominence on the field and the way he is said to overshadow teammates and even the teams he plays for, and memes showing him as Mao or other autocratic leaders are widely shared.
Mbappé's face has appeared in advertising across China, from subway stations to elevators. He has featured in campaigns for products ranging from electrolyte drinks to milk and cheese. In one Dongpeng commercial he delivered a slogan in Chinese, and in a Mengniu ad he appeared alongside Argentine star Lionel Messi.
The controversy has also reached China's state-linked institutions and digital platforms. China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Guo Jiakun said in response to a question about the matter 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. » Social media platform RedNote said it had a content partnership with Mbappé that ended on Dec. 31, 2024, and that it would remove related promotional materials. Mbappé's account on the platform was also barred from accepting new followers on Tuesday.
Reports from other outlets added that Mbappé's official accounts on the Weibo and Xiaohongshu platforms were reportedly frozen and marked with notices about violating regulations. State broadcaster CCTV reportedly stopped airing Real Madrid matches in China and, according to one report, all La Liga matches, though the broadcaster's decision has not been detailed in the sources. On Chinese social media, the hashtags « Dongpeng ends partnership with Mbappé » and « Several brands end partnerships with Mbappé » topped Weibo's trending list, and some users called for a boycott and told him not to come to China.
8
