Mbappe loses three Chinese sponsors after calling Mao Zedong a dictator on chat show

Kylian Mbappe has lost at least three major Chinese sponsors after footage surfaced of the Real Madrid forward apparently referring to Mao Zedong as a dictator, triggering a swift corporate and government backlash in China.

Drinks manufacturer Dongpeng, dairy company Mengniu and cheesemaker Milkground each announced on Tuesday they had terminated their deals with the French star. All three issued near-identical statements declaring they reject “any words and actions that hurt national sentiment.”

The controversy stems from a clip recorded on “The Bridge,” a French online chat show, in which Mbappe was asked to name his favourite meme of himself. He replied that it was “a video someone made of a guy… I think he was a Chinese dictator,” at which point the footage showed a doctored image placing Mbappe’s face on the blue-suited figure of Mao Zedong — the communist leader who governed China from 1949 until 1976.

The meme format is well established among football fans online, who playfully portray Mbappe — widely seen as dominating every team he plays for — as various authoritarian figures. Versions depicting him as Mao or other historical leaders circulate widely across social media.

China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Guo Jiakun addressed the incident directly, stating that “words and actions that hurt the feelings of the Chinese people will naturally be met with joint opposition from all sectors of Chinese society.”

Social media platform RedNote also confirmed it had held a content partnership with Mbappe that expired on 31 December 2024, and said it would “remove related promotional materials” while expressing opposition to “any conduct that hurts national sentiment.” By Tuesday, Mbappe’s RedNote account had stopped accepting new followers.

The backlash spread rapidly across Chinese social media, with hashtags including “Dongpeng ends partnership with Mbappe” and “Several brands end partnerships with Mbappe” reaching the top of Weibo’s trending charts. A third hashtag, “Football fans boycott Mbappe,” also gained significant traction.

Mbappe had previously been a prominent commercial presence in China, fronting campaigns for electrolyte drinks, dairy products and cheese. One Dongpeng advertisement featured him delivering a slogan in Mandarin, while a Mengniu commercial placed him alongside Lionel Messi. The Associated Press reported it was unable to immediately reach Mbappe’s representatives for comment.