Kylian Mbappé has lost several of his biggest sponsorship deals in China after a video circulated online in which he appears to joke about Mao Zedong, the founder of the People’s Republic of China, that led to a backlash that he has now apologised for.
“My comment was ill-judged, and I now understand that it hurt many people in China and in Chinese communities around the world,” Mbappé said in a statement he published in French, Chinese and English on Tuesday.
“I apologise to everyone my words have upset.”
Energy-drink maker Dongpeng and dairy group Mengniu both ended their partnerships with the Real Madrid forward with immediate effect.
“Our company is firmly opposed and applies a policy of zero tolerance towards any behaviour that offends national feelings,” Dongpeng said, announcing the end of “all forms of cooperation” with the player.
Mengniu said in its own announcement that it was ending all cooperation with the captain of the French national team in a move that shows how political and national sensitivities can weigh on international brands.
What sparked the backlash?
Mbappé reportedly made the ‘insensitive’ comment on the French talk show The Bridge, where he was asked about the online memes about him being a ‘dictator’ and the ones which amuse him the most.
He then said the one that makes him laugh most is a video of a man he thinks is “a Chinese dictator”.
Mbappe laughs as the programme cuts to a meme showing his own face superimposed on an image resembling Mao.
The meme is part of a running joke on social media in which Mbappe is called a “dictator” over his huge influence on and off the pitch.
Why did the video cause such a reaction?
The decision by several brands to drop Mbappe came after the clip spread across China, where jokes about Mao, who died in 1976, are seen as disrespectful.
Both companies’ statements stressed the need to protect national feelings and clearly distanced themselves from Mbappé.
The split is a sharp reversal for the 27-year-old, who until now has been hugely popular with Chinese fans and has millions of followers on the country’s social platforms.
During this year’s World Cup, Chinese viewers regularly saw Dongpeng adverts featuring AI-generated images of him drinking the brand’s energy drink.
He is also affectionately known in China as “Guigui”, which translates as “turtle”, a nickname linked to a meme inspired by the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.