Three Chinese companies have terminated their agreements with Kylian Mbappe after footage surfaced online appearing to show the Real Madrid forward describing Mao Zedong as a dictator. Drink maker Dongpeng, dairy firm Mengniu and cheese manufacturer Milkground confirmed on Tuesday that their deals with the footballer had been ended.
Each company also stated that it condemns "any words and actions that hurt national sentiment." The firms gave no further explanation for their decisions.
What the footage showed
The controversy follows the circulation of a recording from "The Bridge," a French online chat show. In the clip, Mbappe is asked about his favourite meme of himself and replies that it is "a video someone made of a guy...I think he was a Chinese dictator," before an altered image appears showing his face on the blue-suited figure of Mao Zedong, China's communist leader from 1949 until 1976.
Football supporters online routinely joke that Mbappe is a dictator, and memes depicting him as Mao or other authoritarian figures are widely shared on social media. The Associated Press reported that it was immediately unable to contact Mbappe's representatives for comment.
Official and platform reaction
China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Guo Jiakun responded to the controversy, saying 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 issued a statement confirming that a content partnership with Mbappe concluded on December 31, 2024, and that it would "remove related promotional materials." The platform said it opposed "any conduct that hurts national sentiment." By Tuesday, Mbappe's RedNote account had stopped accepting new followers.
Commercial footprint and public backlash
Mbappe had previously fronted numerous advertising campaigns across China, promoting products ranging from electrolyte drinks to milk and cheese. In one Dongpeng advertisement he delivers a slogan in Chinese, while a Mengniu commercial features him alongside Argentine football legend Lionel Messi.
Chinese social media was already filled with criticism of the footballer. The hashtags "Dongpeng ends partnership with Mbappe" and "Several brands end partnerships with Mbappe" rose immediately to the top of Weibo's trending rankings, while "Football fans boycott Mbappe" also gained considerable traction, with many users expressing anger at his remarks or demanding he stay away from China.
