China has acknowledged Kylian Mbappe’s apology after the footballer said he enjoyed memes about Mao Zedong and referred to him as “a Chinese dictator”, sparking a backlash from brands and fans online.
France captain Mbappé, 27, apologised for what he said was an “ill-judged” comment referring to the late Chinese leader.
The star forward had joked about a meme depicting him as Mao on French talk show “The Bridge”. A dominant force at both club level with Real Madrid and with the national team, Mbappé has been described as having a dictatorial style of leadership in the dressing room.
He told the talk show that the Mao meme “that makes me laugh the most, it’s the one where there’s a video of a guy, I think it’s a Chinese dictator…” He went on to laugh over the clip that shows the meme of his face superimposed on an image resembling Mao.
In his apology statement, Mbappé said: “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.”
Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun told the media on Wednesday: “We take seriously the apology the individual concerned has made.”
In China, where Mao’s legacy as the founder of the People’s Republic is revered, mocking him or describing him as a dictator is strictly taboo.
Real Madrid also issued a formal apology on Wednesday, which read: “Real Madrid CF wishes to express its apologies to the Chinese people for any discomfort caused by the recent words of our player Kylian Mbappe.
“Our club maintains a deep respect for China, its history, its culture and its citizens, as well as for the millions of Chinese fans who feel affection and admiration for Real Madrid.”
And Spain’s La Liga has apologised too, saying it “deeply regrets the offence that Kylian Mbappé’s recent comments have caused among Chinese fans”.
The backlash began on Monday night, after Chinese football forum Dongqiudi highlighted the comments in a statement, describing them as “inappropriate” and saying they had “hurt the feelings of Chinese people”.
After his remarks on the talk show, several Chinese brands, including dairy giant Mengniu and drinks company Dongpeng, moved to cut ties with the Real Madrid forward.
Chinese state broadcaster CCTV reportedly stopped featuring Mbappé in its news coverage and halted La Liga broadcasts, according to Chinese media.
Mbappé’s accounts on Chinese social media platforms Xiaohongshu (also known as RedNote) and Weibo were also reportedly restricted, despite the footballer having more than a million followers on Xiaohongshu.
Kylian Mbappé referred to Chairman Mao Zedong as a dictator of China, and this morning all brands in China deleted his picture and terminated his contract 🤯 pic.twitter.com/h8U1GTxXwp
— yui (@myyangzi) October 27, 2026
Weibo displayed a notice saying that “the user has been banned from following due to violating laws or the Weibo Community Convention”.
It was reported that several luxury brands that Mbappé is associated with had taken down posts featuring the French footballer from their Weibo accounts.
The controversy spread rapidly on Chinese social media, with some users calling for a boycott of Mbappé and Real Madrid. Mbappé featured in five of the top 10 trending topics on Weibo on Tuesday, with a hashtag translating as “multiple brands terminate partnerships with Mbappé” topping the list.
“Don’t ever come to China,” read one of the comments on the platform.
— Kylian Mbappé (@KMbappe) October 27, 2026
The athlete was accused of “profiting from the Chinese market yet making remarks that offend the Chinese public”.
“International public figures, in particular, should show greater respect and sensitivity, as national sentiment must never be taken lightly,” another comment on Weibo read.
Mao remains a highly sensitive figure in China, where his rule from 1949 until his death in 1976 was marked by mass famine and political violence that killed millions. The ruling Communist Party continues to regard him as a national icon.
In the now-deleted clip from the French talk show that was earlier circulating online, Mbappé does not name Mao explicitly, saying instead that he “uses [the meme] with friends all the time”.
The Chinese forum Dongqiudi earlier stated that it was “unable to translate” the footballer’s comments because they were “offensive to China and the Chinese people”.
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