Kylian Mbappe apologises to China after backlash over ‘ill-judged’ Mao meme comments

France football captain Kylian Mbappe issued an apology on Tuesday after several Chinese brands severed commercial ties with him over comments regarding the late Chinese leader Mao Zedong.

In a video, Mbappe is heard describing the funniest meme he had seen of himself as one where his face was edited onto “some guy — I think he’s a Chinese dictator”. The remarks appeared to refer to an image where Mbappe was superimposed over a photograph of Mao.

Reuters has not been able to verify the authenticity of the video.

“During a recent interview, I reacted to an image of myself,” Mbappe, 27, wrote on the social media platform X. “My comment was ill-judged, and I now understand that it hurt many people in China and in Chinese communities around the world.”

“I apologise to everyone my words have upset,” he added. “This was absolutely not my intention. I have deep respect for the Chinese people and their history, and I am sincerely sorry.”

In China, satire or jokes directed at Mao, the nation’s founding leader who ruled from 1949 until his death in 1976, are viewed as deeply disrespectful and remain taboo.

“A remark about an internet meme has triggered a backlash among his Chinese fans, threatened his lucrative commercial relationships and offered a sharp reminder of the limits of celebrity influence,” state newspaper China Daily said.

Mbappe, one of the world’s most high-profile athletes with commercial partnerships ranging from sportswear brand On Holding 49G.BN to hotel group Accor ACCP.PA and toy manufacturer Lego, is the latest sporting figure to cause offence in China.

Prominent companies and organisations that have previously faced criticism from Beijing, internet users and Chinese media include fashion brand Dolce & Gabbana, Swiss watchmaker Swatch, and the National Basketball Association.

Numerous Chinese media outlets denounced Mbappe’s reported remarks on Tuesday, though they chose not to repeat them.

“What did he say? Many Chinese would rather not repeat it,” the state-backed Global Times reported.

“The message from Chinese consumers is clear: Respect is not optional; one doesn’t get to profit from China while disrespecting it. Not a chance.”

Brands including dairy companies Mengniu 2319.HK and Shanghai Milkground Food Tech 600882.SS, alongside Eastroc Beverage 605499.SS, confirmed they were ending all cooperation with Mbappe, who plays club football for Real Madrid, with immediate effect.

The firms stated that they “firmly oppose and have zero tolerance for any words or actions that hurt the feelings of the Chinese people.”

State television in China has suspended broadcasts of all events and matches involving LaLiga and Mbappe, while advertisements featuring the player have been taken down, state-backed news outlet the Paper reported on Tuesday.

Representatives for Mbappe did not immediately respond to a request for comment, while Real Madrid declined to comment.

Spain’s LaLiga president, Javier Tebas, posted an apology on X, stating that the league deeply regretted the alleged remarks that “have caused discomfort and offence in China”.

“We are taking the measures within our reach and working directly with our partners and interlocutors in China to overcome this situation,” Tebas stated. “A relationship built over so many years cannot be damaged by a single episode.”

Danish firm Lego, which sells an Mbappe building set in China, said it could not comment. The product remained listed on Lego’s Chinese website on Tuesday. On Holding and Accor did not immediately reply to requests for comment.

As of 0700 GMT, four topics concerning Mbappe remained among the top 10 trending searches on Chinese social network Weibo. Several users called for China to “blacklist” the footballer and reduce his commercial value to zero, comments that gathered hundreds of likes.

Fans have regularly generated memes editing Mbappe’s face onto images of military and political figures to imply he controls decision-making at his clubs, earning him the nickname “the dictator” in European media.

In an interview with L’Equipe last month, Mbappe remarked that while some meme trends were light-hearted fun, viral posts depicting him as a dictator reflected “a lack of political and human awareness.”

Asked about the incident, a spokesperson for China’s Foreign Ministry stated that words and actions damaging the feelings of the Chinese public “will naturally be met with joint opposition from all sectors of Chinese society.”