Real Madrid forward Kylian Mbappe has apologised for what he described as an “ill-judged” comment about former Chinese leader Mao Zedong after two major Chinese brands terminated their partnerships with the French football star.
“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,” Mbappe said in a statement on his X handle on Tuesday.
The controversy followed the circulation of a video in which the 27-year-old France captain described an internet meme featuring his face superimposed on that of a Chinese leader as the funniest meme he had seen.
Mbappe appeared to refer to the figure as “some guy — I think he’s a Chinese dictator,” in an apparent reference to Mao, who led the Chinese Communist Party and died in 1976.
Chinese drinks manufacturer Dongpeng Beverage announced on Tuesday that it was ending its partnership with the footballer, citing its opposition to remarks considered offensive to national sentiments.
“Our company firmly opposes and has a zero-tolerance policy towards any behaviour that offends national sentiments,” the company said, adding, “With immediate effect, we are terminating all cooperation with Kylian Mbappe.”
Mengniu, China’s largest dairy producer, also announced that it was ending its partnership with the Real Madrid forward.
“With immediate effect, our company is terminating all cooperation with Kylian Mbappe,” the company said.
“Mengniu firmly opposes and has a zero-tolerance policy towards any words or actions that hurt the feelings of the Chinese people,” it added.
The announcements triggered widespread discussion on Chinese social media platform Weibo, where the termination of Dongpeng’s partnership with Mbappe became a trending topic.
Jokes about Mao, widely regarded in China as the country’s founding leader, remain sensitive, with public comments perceived as disrespectful often attracting strong reactions.
Mbappe had previously spoken about memes comparing him to historical dictators in an interview with French sports newspaper L’Equipe in September.
“There’s a part of it that’s funny. You can tell that, for some people, it’s all in good fun. But there is another part that’s a bit less funny because of the damage such people have caused throughout history,” he said.
“Being compared to individuals who murder others, or who have brought misery to millions upon millions of people — well, I don’t think I’ve ever done anything like that in my life,” he added.
International sports figures have previously faced backlash in China over comments on politically sensitive issues, including Taiwan, Tibet and Hong Kong.
In 2019, a social media post by Houston Rockets general manager Daryl Morey supporting pro-democracy protesters in Hong Kong prompted China to suspend NBA sponsorship deals and stop broadcasting games for a year.
In 2023, former NBA player Dwight Howard also attracted criticism on Chinese social media after referring to Taiwan as a country in a video featuring Taiwan’s then vice president, Lai Ching-te.