Mbappe Loses Two Chinese Sponsors After Mao Meme Remark

Kylian Mbappe parted ways with two major Chinese commercial partners on Tuesday after a video resurfaced showing him making a joke about former Chinese leader Mao Zedong. The split follows a wave of criticism in China, where humor regarding Mao, who died in 1976, is widely considered a social taboo.

Dongpeng, a drinks manufacturer, announced the termination of its cooperation with Mbappe in a statement. The company stated it maintains a zero-tolerance policy toward behavior that offends national sentiments. Dongpeng had used AI-generated images of the 27-year-old in advertisements during the FIFA World Cup earlier this year. Mengniu, the largest dairy producer in China, also cut ties with the Real Madrid forward. Its statement echoed the language used by Dongpeng, citing a zero-tolerance policy toward actions that hurt the feelings of the Chinese people.

The controversy centers on a video in which Mbappe described a meme featuring his face digitally placed onto that of a Chinese dictator. The remark appeared to reference a popular internet image that superimposed his face on Mao. The topic of Dongpeng ending its partnership with Mbappe became the most discussed subject on the Chinese social platform Weibo. Users described the remarks as extremely serious and crossed a red line, with some calling for his image to be removed from energy drink bottles.

Mbappe had previously addressed a similar meme in a September interview with the French sports newspaper L'Equipe. He described the comparison to a military dictator as partly funny but noted that the historical damage caused by such figures made it less amusing. He added that being compared to people who bring misery to millions was not something he had done in his life.

The incident arrived one day after Mbappe lost the Ballon d'Or award to Harry Kane. The loss of these sponsors marks a sharp decline in his standing with Chinese fans, who had previously given him the nickname Guigui, or turtle, based on a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles meme.

Dongqiudi, a major football website in China, said on Monday evening that his comments were offensive to China and hurt the feelings of local fans. The situation mirrors past disputes involving global sports figures, such as Dwight Howard in 2023 and Daryl Morey in 2019, which led to widespread backlash and commercial adjustments in the Chinese market.