Kylian Mbappe loses Chinese sponsorships over Mao Zedong meme controversy

Kylian Mbappe has had two major sponsorship agreements with Chinese companies cancelled after a video circulated online in which the Real Madrid forward appeared to joke about former Chinese leader Mao Zedong.

Chinese drinks manufacturer Dongpeng and dairy producer Mengniu both announced on Tuesday that they were ending their partnerships with the France captain, 27.

References to Mao, who founded the People’s Republic of China and died in 1976, remain highly sensitive in the country.

Dongpeng said in a statement: “Our company firmly opposes and has a zero-tolerance policy towards any behaviour that offends national sentiments.”

The company added: “With immediate effect we are terminating all cooperation with Kylian Mbappe.”

Mengniu also said it was ending its relationship with the footballer immediately. Mbappe had been a popular figure among Chinese supporters.

“With immediate effect our company is terminating all cooperation with Kylian Mbappe,” Mengniu said.

It added: “Mengniu firmly opposes and has a zero-tolerance policy towards any words or actions that hurt the feelings of the Chinese people.”

The dispute followed the spread of a video in which Mbappe reportedly called an internet meme the funniest he had seen. The image appeared to superimpose his face on that of a Chinese dictator, in an apparent reference to a picture showing the striker alongside Mao.

The video attracted significant attention on Chinese social media. The ending of Dongpeng’s partnership with Mbappe became the leading topic on Weibo, while some users called on the company to remove his image from bottles of its energy drink.

Chinese football outlet Dongqiudi also condemned the remarks, saying they were offensive to China and its people and had upset football supporters.

Mbappe had previously discussed memes comparing him with historical dictators during an interview with French sports newspaper L’Equipe in September.

“There’s a part of it that’s funny. You can tell that, for some people, it’s all in good fun,” he said.

But he also raised concerns about being linked with figures responsible for widespread suffering.

“Being compared to individuals who murder others, or who have brought misery to millions upon millions of people – well, I don’t think I’ve ever done anything like that in my life,” Mbappe added.

The loss of the two agreements highlights the potential consequences for international sports stars when their comments are linked to politically sensitive issues in China.

Former NBA player Dwight Howard faced criticism in 2023 after referring to Taiwan as a country in a video featuring the island’s president, Lai Ching-te. Beijing claims Taiwan as part of its territory.

In 2019, a social media post by Houston Rockets general manager Daryl Morey supporting pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong triggered a major dispute between the NBA and China. Chinese broadcasters suspended coverage of league games for a year.