Top Shot – People walk past a bus carrying French soccer player Kylian Mbappé selling Dongpeng Beverage Group’s electrolyte drink Bouchuira on a street in Shanghai on October 27, 2026. French soccer player Kylian Mbappé was fired by two major Chinese brands on October 27 after a video of him appearing to joke about former leader Mao Zedong went viral online. (Photo credit: Jade GAO/AFP via Getty Images)
Jade Gao | AFP | Getty Images
Kylian Mbappé has sparked controversy in China over comments he apparently made calling Mao Zedong a dictator, with sponsors dropping the French striker and Spanish soccer broadcasts being suspended.
Chinese state broadcaster CCTV warned that Mbappe’s apology would ultimately be judged by his actions.
“We will listen to his words, but we will monitor his actions even more closely,” an anonymous China Media Group representative said on October 27, urging Mbappé, Real Madrid and La Liga to learn from the incident and change their ways.
A day earlier, the broadcaster had canceled La Liga coverage and matches involving the French forward, as well as removed advertisements featuring the player.
Xiaohongshu and Weibo social media accounts were also subsequently muted, according to People’s Daily’s online commentary platform Renmin Ruiping.
As of October 28, we have not been able to independently confirm whether broadcasting will resume or account restrictions will be lifted.
The backlash followed the circulation of a clip from French show The Bridge in which Mbappe discussed a meme that superimposed his face on the late Mao Zedong, the late Chinese Communist Party leader and founding leader of the People’s Republic of China.
Reuters reported that in the video, Mbappé said the funniest meme of himself he had ever seen was one with his face superimposed on the face of “some guy – I think the dictator of China.”
Reuters said it could not independently authenticate the video.
The soccer star later apologized in Chinese, French and English in a statement on X on October 27, acknowledging that his comments were misjudged and hurt many Chinese communities around the world.
I have deep respect for the Chinese people and their history, and I sincerely apologize.
Kylian Mbappe
real madrid forward
La Liga also issued an official statement expressing deep regret that Chinese fans were hurt by Mbappe’s comments, adding that his personal views do not represent the position of the Spanish league.
Commercial decline was also rapid.
Toho Beverage, mengyu and cheese maker milk ground The company announced the end of its partnership with Mbappé, according to a company statement compiled by China.org.cn, a state-run web portal and news service.
Toho’s sports drink brand Bushuira had just announced him as an ambassador in April of this year.
On the other hand, on and dior According to Chinese media outlet Phoenix, both companies have reportedly removed Chinese promotional content featuring Mbappe, but have not announced a global termination.
The Real Madrid star has around 1 million followers on Xiaohongshu. Weibo Reuters reported that four topics related to football stars were in the top 10 searches on Weibo on October 27th.
People’s Daily, the official newspaper of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, intensified its criticism through its online commentary platform People’s Ruiping.
The commentary argued that celebrities who cross public boundaries can become a liability for brands, and that it is unacceptable to profit from the market while infringing on people’s important history and culture.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun also addressed the controversy, saying the ministry was aware of the report.
He added, “Any words or actions that hurt the feelings of the Chinese people will naturally receive a simultaneous backlash from all sectors of Chinese society.”
