French football captain Kylian Mbappé apologised on Tuesday (October 27) for a remark widely read as calling Mao Zedong a dictator. The apology came after at least two Chinese brands ended their sponsorship deals with him and China’s state broadcaster halted coverage of Spain’s La Liga, where he plays for Real Madrid. “My comment was ill-judged, and I now understand that it hurt many people in China and in Chinese communities around the world,” the 27-year-old said in a statement posted in French, Mandarin, and English on his social media accounts. He said he had “deep respect” for the Chinese people and their history, that offending anyone was “absolutely not” his intention, and that he was reacting to an image of himself.
The podcast clip
The controversy began with a video shared by the French football podcast “The Bridge” that circulated widely on social media on Monday. Filmed in April as Mbappé prepared to go on air, it shows him being asked about his favourite internet meme of himself. He describes an image of his face on the body of “some guy,” adding that he thinks he is “a Chinese dictator.” He didn’t name Mao. The video then cuts to a meme resembling Mao, with him smiling.
Mao founded the People’s Republic of China in 1949 and led the government until his death in 1976. Many in China still revere him, and jokes about him or descriptions of him as a dictator are social and political taboos. The European press has long nicknamed Mbappé “the dictator”, and online memes have depicted him as an authoritarian leader, given his perceived sway at his clubs.
Sponsors withdraw
Chinese brands moved quickly. Beverage maker Dongpeng ended its contract “with immediate effect,” saying it has a zero-tolerance policy toward conduct that offends national sentiment. Mengniu, China’s largest dairy producer, followed. A third company, cheesemaker Milkground, also withdrew its sponsorship. Dongpeng had used Mbappé heavily in its marketing. AI-generated ads of him drinking a Dongpeng sports drink ran during this year’s World Cup in China, and bottles of its “Bushuila” drink carry his image. Mbappé ranks third on the list of the world’s highest-paid footballers.
Media’s hard stance
China Media Group, which oversees state broadcaster CCTV, suspended La Liga broadcasts and pulled advertisements featuring Mbappé. CCTV later said it would consider his apology but also judge his future actions. The Chinese Football Association demanded a “public and formal apology” from Mbappé and Real Madrid.
China Daily described the episode as a reminder of the limits of celebrity influence. The nationalist-leaning Global Times said many Chinese would rather not repeat Mbappé's words and argued that Chinese consumers expect respect from those who profit from China. Several Chinese outlets condemned the remark without repeating it. On Weibo, four Mbappé-related topics were among the top 10 trending searches on Tuesday morning, and some users called for him to be “blacklisted.”
Reactions
Responding to a question about the controversy, China's foreign ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said, “Words and actions that hurt the feelings of the Chinese people will naturally be met with joint opposition from all sectors of Chinese society.” La Liga apologised on behalf of the league, saying it deeply regretted the offence caused to Chinese fans and that the comments were made in a personal capacity. League president Javier Tebas wrote on X that “a single episode cannot damage a relationship built over so many years.” They said La Liga was working with its partners in China. Mbappé and La Liga apologised within an hour of each other.
European football’s dependency
The row shows how dependent European football’s top leagues are on the Chinese market and brands, though the financial value is not publicly known. La Liga earns about €900 million ($1.03 billion) a year from international rights, nearly half its total broadcast income, and China is a priority market. In August, it sold exclusive China rights to streaming platform Migu for four seasons from 2026-27, at an undisclosed price.
Real Madrid, Mbappé’s club, has a large following in China, with a Nielsen survey putting its fanbase there at 127 million. The Premier League, which earns far more overseas, has also seen its China rights change hands. A reported $700 million deal with PPTV ended in 2020 over a missed payment, and the rights have since moved between platforms. Migu now holds them. The long-term effect of the row will depend on how quickly relations with Chinese broadcasters and partners recover, which will shape bidding and the value of future rights.
Fans not amused
The perceived Chinese coercion through punitive measures did not go down well on social media. As Mbappe apologised by posting a statement in French, English, and Mandarin on X, audience responses ranged from critical to sarcastic. Many told him he didn’t need to apologise to China, and they uploaded several memes in the comments section. One member even posted an AI-created video in which Mao Zedong and Joseph Stalin were arguing who killed the most people. When Stalin dismisses Mao’s calim of him causing the deaths of over 80 million people against the former’s 20 million, Mao takes a smartphone out of his pocket, asks Google who tops the list, and Google states that Mao’s policies resulted in the deaths of more than 80 million people. His X post also has "Readers added context" that describes the Chinese leader a dictaor.
