One offhand laugh about an internet meme has turned into Kylian Mbappé’s biggest off-field headache of the season. The Real Madrid forward and France captain issued a public apology on Tuesday after Chinese companies cut ties with him and state media pulled Spanish football off the air.
The trouble began with a short clip, which circulated on X and seems to have been recorded backstage at The Bridge, a web chat programme in France. Asked which meme of himself he enjoyed most, Mbappé described a video of a man he thought was a Chinese dictator, and the footage then cut to his face pasted onto a figure resembling Mao Zedong. He never named Mao. The meme belongs to a long-running fan joke that casts the superstar as a dictator because of how much he dominates his teams.
Chinese reaction was swift. Energy-drink maker Dongpeng, dairy group Mengniu and cheese company Milkground all ended their deals, each saying it opposed words that “hurt national sentiment.” The China Football Association lodged what it called a stern protest with Real Madrid, while China Media Group suspended broadcasts of La Liga and other matches involving the player and removed his adverts. Spain’s top division quickly issued its own apology.
Mbappé’s written response described the comment as “ill-judged” and acknowledged the pain it caused Chinese people at home and abroad. He insisted that was never his intention and that he respects the country’s people and history. Whether brands return is another question for a player whose face had been plastered across Chinese subway stations and lifts.
