Chinese corporate partners severed ties with Kylian Mbappé on October 27, 2026, following online backlash over an unverified video where the French football captain seemingly referenced late Chinese leader Mao Zedong as a dictator, sparking widespread public anger and state-backed media condemnation.
Chinese Brands Cancel Sponsorship Deals with Real Madrid Forward
Major Chinese brands moved swiftly to distance themselves from the Real Madrid forward as digital outrage mounted. Beverage maker Dongpeng and dairy giant Mengniu announced the immediate cancellation of their commercial agreements, pointing to corporate zero-tolerance policies regarding national sentiments. Dongpeng had previously featured the 27-year-old athlete in promotional campaigns utilizing artificial intelligence-generated imagery during the World Cup (The Guardian).
Additional commercial partners joined the boycott as public pressure intensified. Mengniu issued an official statement condemning any behavior that hurts public feelings, while similar announcements came from Milkground and Eastroc Beverage (Straits Times, Geosuper). The controversy quickly dominated digital platforms, with discussions regarding the commercial severance claiming the top-trending spot on Weibo and accumulating hundreds of millions of views (Straits Times).
The Viral Meme and Historical Sensitivities in China
The diplomatic friction originated from circulating clips where the French player discussed internet memes that superimposed his face onto historical figures, remarking in an unverified video that the funniest one depicted some guy – I think he’s a Chinese dictator
(Straits Times). Football forums and online commentators immediately connected the remark to satirical images pairing the athlete with Mao Zedong, the founding leader of the People’s Republic of China who died in 1976 (BBC, Kuwait Times).
References to Mao remain deeply sensitive within mainland China, where his legacy is officially revered despite historical policies linked to mass casualties during rapid industrialization. Prominent Chinese football community platform Dongqiudi condemned the player’s remarks, stating that the commentary proved offensive to China and the Chinese people
and asserting that the platform was unable to translate
the specific phrasing due to its offensive nature.
Words and actions that hurt the feelings of the Chinese people will naturally be met with unanimous rejection from all sectors of Chinese society.
Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Guo Jiakun
State Media Suspends La Liga Broadcasts
Official channels mirrored the public disapproval. Public television suspended all television broadcasts of Spanish La Liga matches, and advertisements featuring the athlete were removed, according to reports from state-backed media outlet The Paper (Straits Times). Independent fact-checkers noted that the authenticity of the originating video could not be immediately verified (Straits Times).
Similar commercial freezes occurred in 2019, when state television pulled National Basketball Association broadcasts for a year following a social media post by Houston Rockets general manager Daryl Morey supporting protests in Hong Kong (Straits Times, The Guardian).
Beyond the immediate corporate fallouts involving Dongpeng and Mengniu, other enterprises also distanced themselves from the player. Dairy companies Mengniu and Milkground formally ended their partnerships with the France international on October 27, 2026. Eastroc Beverage announced on Weibo that it strongly opposed behavior that hurts national sentiment and terminated all cooperation. State media outlet China Daily highlighted that the incident served as a sharp reminder of the limits of celebrity influence in a crucial market. The state-backed Global Times noted that respect is not optional and that individuals do not get to profit from China while disrespecting it. Four topics related to the controversy remained among the top ten trending searches on Weibo, with some netizens calling for the player to be blacklisted entirely. In an interview with L’Equipe in September, the 27-year-old had previously addressed memes depicting him as a military dictator, acknowledging that while some parts were funny, others were less amusing due to the historical damage caused by such figures. Real Madrid, La Liga, and the player’s representatives did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
🚨 NEW: Chinese brands drop Kylian Mbappé over Chairman Mao meme.• On the French talk show The Bridge, Mbappé said the meme “makes me laugh the most” and that he uses it with friends, while an image resembling Mao Zedong appeared on screen.• China’s foreign ministry said… pic.twitter.com/zkhwTgfUjP
More on Kylian Mbappé
French football star Kylian Mbappé is facing a growing backlash in China over alleged remarks about former Chinese leader Mao Zedong.Unverified clips circulating online reportedly show the Real Madrid forward discussing a meme featuring an image resembling Mao, saying he uses… pic.twitter.com/TOgZYcMk8d