Memes, Mao Zedong, Millions at Stake: Explaining Kylian Mbappe’s Ongoing Controversy

When Kylian Mbappé descended upon the London Palladium for Monday’s Ballon d’Or ceremony, he could scarcely have imagined that his first public comments after the event would be a groveling apology to “the Chinese people and their history.”

A matter of hours after Harry Kane was crowned the best men’s soccer player on the planet, Mbappé was forced to address a wave of controversy which could have major reputational and financial implications for himself, Real Madrid and La Liga at large.

Back in April, while appearing on The Bridge, a show hosted by his compatriot Aurélien Tchouaméni, Mbappé was quizzed on his favorite internet meme featuring himself. “The one where I laughed the hardest was when they put up a video of some guy,” the French striker smiled. “I think it was a Chinese dictator.”

No name was mentioned but the edited clip produced an image of Mbappé mocked up as Mao Zedong, an original member of the Chinese Communist Party who founded the People’s Republic of China in 1949. He would lead the nation until his death in 1976.

Criticizing a figure as prominent, if controversial, as Mao was not well received in China after the clip—initially released in April—was re-circulated over recent days. Amid strong backlash on social media, the foreign ministry released a stern statement: “Words and actions that hurt the feelings of the Chinese people will naturally be met with joint opposition from all sectors of Chinese society.”

Mbappé took to social media to offer his contrition. “During a recent interview, I reacted to an image of myself,” he wrote in a statement written 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 apologize to everyone my words have upset. This was absolutely not my intention. I have deep respect for the Chinese people and their history, and I am sincerely sorry.”

The Repercussions of Mbappe’s Comments

The response to Mbappé’s comments was swift and potentially very costly as a stack of Chinese sponsors queued up to drop the French star.

Both Mengniu and beverage giant Dongpeng expressed “zero tolerance” for Mbappé’s remarks. The leading dairy manufacturer condemned “any words or actions that offend the feelings of the Chinese people,” while Dongpeng accused the striker of “offending national sentiments.”

Cheese maker Milkground promptly followed suit. Social platform RedNote felt compelled to stress that its relationship with the record World Cup scorer had expired more than 18 months ago and set about purging their platform of any related material.

Dior, Hublot and, most pertinently, On, have also removed any Mbappé content from the Chinese social media platform Weibo, per the Global Times. The Real Madrid superstar only recently announced the surprise decision to ditch Nike after a 20-year association for a lucrative new deal with On.

Mbappé is thought to make $30 million a year from various sponsorship deals, per Forbes. The same outlet describes China as a “major market” for On, which could now be closed to Mbappé.

How Real Madrid, La Liga Have Been Dragged Into Controversy

The Chinese Football Association demanded an apology from Real Madrid, adding: “Internationally renowned athletes, in particular, should strictly adhere to ethical standards, speak rationally and cherish their public influence.”

The Chinese state broadcaster, China Central Television (CCTV), has immediately suspended “broadcasts of matches involving La Liga and Mbappé,” as reported by local outlet The Paper. While the CCTV agreement was a short-term deal only stretching between 2024 and 2026, La Liga committed to a four-year exclusive partnership with Migu, another state-owned carrier.

It’s not clear how much investment La Liga stand to lose but the effusive apology delivered by the competition and its president Javier Tebas hints at the importance of the arrangement.

“La Liga deeply regrets the dissatisfaction and offense caused in China by the remarks made by Kylian Mbappé,” Tebas wrote on social media. “We understand the harm caused by these remarks. On behalf of La Liga, I extend our sincere apologies to the Chinese people.

“Over the years, we have built a relationship of mutual respect, trust, and cooperation with China and its government departments, sports organizations, audiovisual media institutions and millions of fans who love Spanish soccer.

“We cannot allow individual actions to damage this relationship, nor can we let more than 20 clubs in our professional competitions and millions of Chinese fans be adversely affected as a result.”