Kylian Mbappé has apologised after major Chinese brands dropped him over an apparent joke about Mao Zedong in a video that went viral, the Guardian reported. On 27 October LALIGA and its president, Javier Tebas, also apologised to Chinese fans, stressing that the Real Madrid forward spoke in a personal capacity.
What happened
In the video, Mbappé said the funniest internet meme he had seen of himself was his face photoshopped on to that of “some guy – I think he’s a Chinese dictator”, an apparent reference to a meme placing his face on an image of Mao, according to the Guardian. Bongda24h said the conversation, on the show The Bridge, had taken place not long before and began trending right after the 2026 Ballon d'Or gala, where Mbappé finished second to Harry Kane.
Mbappé issued a statement in French, Chinese and English: “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,” he said, as quoted by the Guardian.
Sponsors and Chinese reaction
The drinks company Dongpeng, which ran adverts with AI-generated images of Mbappé during the 2026 World Cup, said it was ending all cooperation with the France captain. “Our company firmly opposes and has a zero-tolerance policy towards any behaviour that offends national sentiments,” Dongpeng said. Mengniu, China's largest dairy producer, and cheese maker Milkground also cut ties. Bongda24h noted that Mbappé had read a slogan in Chinese in a Dongpeng advert and appeared alongside Lionel Messi in one for Mengniu.
The news of Dongpeng ending its deal was the top trending topic on Weibo with 430m views, and the football site Dongqiudi called the remarks “offensive to China and the Chinese people”. Foreign ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun told a regular briefing: “Words and actions that hurt the feelings of the Chinese people will naturally be met with unanimous rejection from all sectors of Chinese society.”
The state-run digital newspaper The Paper cited sources at CCTV as saying the broadcaster had suspended all La Liga broadcasts and removed advertisements involving Mbappé. However, the Guardian noted on 27 October that La Liga matches were still on CCTV's online viewing schedule.
LALIGA's statement
“LALIGA deeply regrets the offence that Kylian Mbappé’s recent comments have caused among Chinese fans. These comments were made in a personal capacity and do not represent LALIGA,” the league said, apologising on behalf of LALIGA and all its clubs. Tebas added: “I wish to personally apologise to Chinese fans for the offence caused.”
Who did what
| Party | Action |
|---|---|
| Kylian Mbappé | Apologised in French, Chinese and English |
| Dongpeng | Ended all cooperation |
| Mengniu and Milkground | Cut ties with Mbappé |
| Chinese foreign ministry | Said it was aware of the reports and that such words meet rejection across Chinese society |
| LALIGA and Javier Tebas | Apologised to Chinese fans, promised an awareness protocol |
| CCTV | Reported by The Paper to have suspended La Liga, schedule unchanged online |
In an interview with L'Equipe last month, the 27-year-old had said a previous meme showing him as a military dictator was partly funny but also less funny because of the damage such people have caused, the Guardian reported. The paper also recalled that in 2019 a tweet by Houston Rockets general manager Daryl Morey supporting the Hong Kong protests led China to suspend sponsorship deals with the NBA and pull its games off Chinese television for a year.
What comes next
Tebas said LALIGA wants to nurture its relationship with China through action and “we will implement concrete measures to help ensure that situations like this do not happen again.” The league says it will draw up an awareness and communication protocol with clubs and players, alongside work already under way with partners and institutional counterparts in China. The CCTV suspension so far rests on sources quoted by The Paper.