At least three Chinese companies have ended their sponsorship arrangements with Kylian Mbappé after remarks in which he appeared to describe Mao Zedong, the founding father of Communist China, as a dictator. The French national team captain's image had featured prominently in advertising across China, from underground stations to lift lobbies.
Brands terminate deals in near-identical statements
Drinks manufacturer Dongpeng, dairy giant Mengniu and cheese producer Milkground announced on Tuesday, in near-identical statements, that they were terminating their arrangements with the footballer. Each said it rejected "any words and actions that hurt national sentiment."
The companies did not elaborate on what prompted their decisions, but issued their announcements after footage spread across X that appeared to show Mbappé being questioned before an appearance on the French online chat programme "The Bridge."
The clip at the centre of the row
In the footage, Mbappé is asked about his favourite meme of himself. He responds that it was "a video someone made of a guy ... I think he was a Chinese dictator," before the clip displays a doctored image showing Mbappé's face on the blue-suited figure of Mao Zedong.
Football supporters online had already jokingly labelled the star a dictator, with memes portraying him as Mao or other authoritarian figures widely shared. The Associated Press said it was immediately unable to contact Mbappé's representatives for comment.
RedNote ends partnership and official reaction
Social media platform RedNote also addressed the dispute, confirming it had held a content partnership with Mbappé that concluded on 31 December 2024 and that it would "remove related promotional materials." The platform said it opposed "any conduct that hurts national sentiment." By Tuesday, Mbappé's RedNote account had stopped accepting new followers.
China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Guo Jiakun responded to the furore by 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."
Advertising work and social media backlash
The French footballer had previously fronted numerous advertising campaigns across China, promoting products ranging from electrolyte drinks to milk and cheese. In one Dongpeng commercial, Mbappé delivers a slogan in Chinese, while an advert for Mengniu sees him appear alongside Argentine football icon Lionel Messi.
Chinese social media was already filled with criticism directed at the player. The hashtags "Dongpeng ends partnership with Mbappé" and "Several brands end partnerships with Mbappé" shot to the top of Weibo's trending charts, while "Football fans boycott Mbappé" also gained significant traction, with many users venting their anger at his remarks or urging him to stay away from China.
