Mbappé Apologizes for Perceived Mao Insult After China Backlash
(Bloomberg) — French football star Kylian Mbappé apologized for offending Chinese fans with comments perceived as insulting to Mao Zedong, following a backlash that prompted a growing boycott.
The Frenchman said remarks he made in an interview — where he was asked to react to an internet meme of himself that appeared to depict Mao, modern China’s founding father — were “ill-judged.”
“I now understand that it hurt many people in China and in Chinese communities around the world,” Mbappé said in an emailed statement. “I apologize to everyone my words have upset. This was absolutely not my intention. I have deep respect for the Chinese people and their history, and I am sincerely sorry.”
The controversy that has followed his comments has led to state TV blocking his matches, social media freezing his accounts and a slew of companies dropping him as ambassador. CCTV has reportedly removed advertisements featuring Mbappé, stopped airing football matches involving him and deleted all posts related to the footballer from its official Weibo account.
Chinese social media platform Xiaohongshu froze the footballer’s account after controversy erupted over the remarks. Mbappé’s official accounts on Weibo and Xiaohongshu, which both have around 1 million followers, were marked with notices saying they had been muted for violating regulations.
China’s Football Association said it firmly opposed any remarks that upset Chinese people, according to the group’s Weibo post.
During a press briefing, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said that any words or actions that offend the Chinese people will inevitably encounter widespread opposition from Chinese society.
Mbappé plays as a forward for Real Madrid and LaLiga apologized for the offense Mbappé’s comments have caused Chinese fans who follow Spanish football. “We cannot allow one individual’s remarks to tarnish that relationship or harm the more than 20 clubs that make up our professional competitions, our partners and, above all, Chinese fans,” LaLiga President Javier Tebas said in a statement. Real Madrid declined to comment.
Some Chinese media reports said Dior had deleted some posts featuring Mbappé who is a long-standing global ambassador for the luxury brand. A representative for Dior declined to comment and parent company LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton SE could not be reached. Mbappé has in the past promoted Hublot, a watch brand that’s part of LVMH as well.
Swiss sneaker company On Holding AG also removed Mbappé-related posts on its Chinese social media account. The sportswear brand did not immediately respond to a request for comment on its plans regarding its recently signed 10-year partnership with the 2018 World Cup winner. On Holding shares fell as much as 5.7% on Tuesday, the biggest drop since Aug. 11.
Consumer brands that hired Mbappé as ambassador — Eastroc Beverage Group Co. and China Mengniu Dairy Co. — saw their stock drop. Shares of Eastroc fell as much as 4.1% in Shanghai, while Mengniu was down around 3% in Hong Kong. Both companies said they are severing ties with him.
Video Controversy
In a video from the Bridge show, the footballer was asked which internet meme featuring himself had made him laugh the most. He described one involving a video of a man he said he thought was “a Chinese dictator,” with his own face superimposed on the figure. Mbappé said he frequently used the meme with friends while gaming online, but didn’t identify the person in the meme.
The Bridge show apologized on its Instagram account Tuesday for any offense the clip had caused, saying it was from behind the scenes of an episode filmed last April. It also apologized to Mbappé, as well as “his partners, and any institutions whose relationships with China and the Chinese people may have been affected.”
Taiwanese media outlet ETtoday reported that the image depicted Mao. Images circulating online also appeared to show Mbappé’s face superimposed on Mao. Neither Eastroc or Mengniu specified what prompted their decisions or referred to Mao in their statements.
The episode quickly triggered criticism from nationalist users on Chinese social media, with some accusing Mbappé of insulting China and calling for a boycott. Prominent football outlet Dongqiudi said it wouldn’t provide a translation of his remarks as they were “hurtful to China and the Chinese people.”
Mao established the People’s Republic of China in 1949 and he remained the country’s paramount leader through his leadership of the Communist Party until his death in 1976. His Great Leap Forward industrialization initiative caused a famine in which tens of millions of people died, but he is still seen as the founder of modern China whose legacy is largely revered in the country.
Memes about Mbappé being a dictator have circulated at least since the World Cup this summer. It’s a nickname he’s carried for months and people have superimposed his face on several historical figures, often in military garb. The footballer has been involved in other controversies too, drawing rebuke in Spain in September after partially covering a shirt supporting Ceuta, the enclave where an estimated 80,000 migrants crossed from Morocco in late July. He later said he wanted to acknowledge migrants’ suffering.
It’s not the first time that online controversies over perceived slights have hurt sponsorships and business ties.
The National Basketball Association has worked to rebuild its brand in mainland China after a yearslong fallout triggered by a social-media post supporting Hong Kong protesters in 2019 from Daryl Morey, then general manager of the Houston Rockets. Foreign companies including Swedish retailer Hennes & Mauritz AB and sportswear giant Nike Inc. have also faced consumer boycotts over comments on Xinjiang.
More recently Louis Vuitton, LVMH’s largest brand, was caught in a cultural appropriation backlash that hurt sales after the group won a trademark dispute against Molly Tea, a local firm. The victory drew the ire of Chinese consumers who deemed it unfair of the world’s largest luxury company to sue a much smaller business over its logo.
Mbappé was in London on Monday to watch as England’s Harry Kane beat him to the title of men’s player of the year in the Ballon d’Or, the world football industry’s most prestigious awards ceremony. Mbappé had given an interview in September in the French media outlet L’Equipe in which he mentioned:“There was no one better than me last season.”
Kane tweeted on Tuesday morning: “Work hard in silence. Let success be your noise.”
–With assistance from Clara Hernanz Lizarraga, David Hellier, Jing Jin, Cecile Vannucci, Tim Loh, Daniela Wei, Karen Leigh, Subrat Patnaik, Vlad Savov and Wenshan Luo.
(Updates with apology from the Bridge show in 13th paragraph.)
©2026 Bloomberg L.P.
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