A footballer's offhand laugh at a meme, made on a French talk show, has become a test of how far a global sporting career can stretch across a political line that China guards closely. Kylian Mbappé has apologised for remarks that seemed to echo Mao Zedong, a figure whose legacy the Chinese state still holds beyond question, and in doing so he has entered a long tradition in which humour and history collide in the marketplace. The question now hanging over the episode is less about what was said than about who gets to decide what a joke is allowed to mean, and how much a sponsorship is worth w
Mbappé apologises for 'ill-judged' Mao remark as Chinese brands cut ties and state media distances itself
Few topics are as sensitive in China as Mao
Mark
Why did a single joke cost him sponsors so fast?
Mimi
Because Mao isn't just history there. The Party still presents him as a national icon, so a meme comparing a footballer to him reads as an attack on the official story.
Luke
Worth noting the brands never mentioned the video. Mengniu and Dongpeng only said they oppose anything hurting national sentiment.
Mark
And Mbappé didn't actually name Mao in the clips?
Mimi
Right. He says he thinks it's a Chinese dictator, then the meme shows an image resembling Mao.
Luke
And we can't verify the full exchange. The original video isn't on the show's channel, and the air date is unclear.
Mark
What about the state response?
Mimi
The Global Times says CCTV's news apps will drop Mbappé content, and Chinese media report CCTV will stop showing La Liga. The foreign ministry's Lin Jian said such words would meet opposition from all sectors of society.
Luke
Those CCTV items are media reports, not an announced policy we've seen directly. Whether they hold is open.
Mark
Is the nickname itself new?
Mimi
No. It's a running joke about his influence, and Dembélé joked with "Mobut" at the World Cup. Mbappé himself said in September that some of these comparisons have a less funny side.
Luke
That context explains the joke, but it doesn't tell us how many sponsors will leave. Only two are confirmed.
Il Polso
- A throwaway joke on a French talk show about a 'Chinese dictator' meme has ignited a fast-moving storm across Chinese social media.
- Brands Mengniu and Dongpeng have cut ties within hours, signalling how quickly commercial loyalty can collapse under nationalist pressure.
- State media has moved to restrict coverage of Mbappé and La Liga, turning a celebrity gaffe into an official matter.
- Mbappé has apologised as foreign ministry officials confirm that offence to national feelings will meet opposition, leaving his next moves and the sponsors' choices still open.
A footballer's offhand laugh at a meme, made on a French talk show, has become a test of how far a global sporting career can stretch across a political line that China guards closely. Kylian Mbappé has apologised for remarks that seemed to echo Mao Zedong, a figure whose legacy the Chinese state still holds beyond question, and in doing so he has entered a long tradition in which humour and history collide in the marketplace. The question now hanging over the episode is less about what was said than about who gets to decide what a joke is allowed to mean, and how much a sponsorship is worth when that answer is set in Beijing.
Kylian Mbappé has apologised after a joke on a French talk show about a meme drew a sharp reaction from Chinese brands and Beijing's foreign ministry. On The Bridge, hosted by his Real Madrid teammate Aurélien Tchouaméni, he laughed at a clip of a man he took to be a Chinese dictator, and the meme that followed put his own face onto an image resembling Mao Zedong. He never named Mao in the clips now circulating, and the original video is hard to find, but the reference was enough.
The joke sat inside a running gag that casts Mbappé as a dictator because of his influence in football, a joke that has grown since a 2024 lawsuit over a sandwich description and the nickname 'Mobut' from teammate Ousmane Dembélé. Backlash began on Monday night when the forum Dongqiudi called the comments hurtful to Chinese people. Screengrabs spread, many blurred, and some users demanded a boycott, though a few defended him in a space where dissent is rare.
Mengniu and Dongpeng acted swiftly, professing zero tolerance for words that hurt Chinese feelings, and CCTV reportedly halted coverage of Mbappé and La Liga. Foreign ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said such insults would meet opposition across Chinese society. Mbappé's apology called his words ill-judged and said he regretted hurting people in China and among Chinese communities abroad. The sensitivity is rooted in Mao's contested legacy, from the famine of the Great Leap Forward to the Cultural Revolution, which the Party still treats as beyond reproach. With large endorsement deals at stake, observers will watch whether other sponsors follow and whether the restrictions last.
Kylian Mbappé has issued a public apology after a joke he made on a French talk show about a meme sent several Chinese brands running and drew a response from Beijing's foreign ministry. In a statement, he called his comment "ill-judged" and said he now understood it had hurt many people in China and in Chinese communities around the world. He added that he apologised to everyone his words had upset.
The remark came on a show called The Bridge, hosted by his Real Madrid teammate Aurélien Tchouaméni. Asked about memes, Mbappé reportedly said the one that made him laugh most was a video of a guy he thought was a Chinese dictator. He laughed as the clip cut to a meme putting his own face onto an image resembling Mao Zedong. In the clips now circulating, he does not name Mao, and says he uses the meme with friends all the time. The original video is not on the show's YouTube channel, and it is unclear when the interview first aired.
The joke plays on a running gag that calls Mbappé "the dictator" because of his enormous sway in football. In 2024 he sued a French influencer and kebab shop owner over a sandwich description that used his name, which fed more jokes. During the 2026 World Cup, France teammate Ousmane Dembélé called him "Mobut", a nod to Mobutu Sese Seko, who ruled the Democratic Republic of Congo for three decades. In a September interview with France Football, Mbappé acknowledged the light-heartedness of such memes but said they sometimes reveal a lack of political and human awareness, and that being compared to people who murdered others or made millions miserable was not something he felt he had done.
The backlash appeared to begin on Monday night, when the Chinese football forum Dongqiudi issued a statement calling the comments inappropriate and hurtful to the feelings of Chinese people. It said it could not translate them because they were offensive to China. Screengrabs spread fast, some with the meme and the offending phrase blurred, which left many users asking what he had actually said. Some called for a boycott of Mbappé and Real Madrid. Critics accused him of profiting from the Chinese market while offending the public. A few people defended him, which is rare on China's tightly controlled internet.
Brands moved quickly. Mengniu, China's largest dairy producer, said it firmly opposed and had zero tolerance for words or actions that hurt the feelings of the Chinese people. Drinks company Dongpeng issued a similar statement. Neither mentioned the video explicitly. The Global Times reported that CCTV's news apps will carry no content related to Mbappé, and Chinese media reported on Tuesday that CCTV will also stop showing La Liga matches. Foreign ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said officials had noted the reports and that words and deeds hurting the feelings of the Chinese people would naturally meet opposition from all sectors of Chinese society. By 14:00 local time on Tuesday, five of Weibo's top 10 trending topics concerned Mbappé.
The speed of the reaction reflects how sensitive Mao remains. He founded the People's Republic in 1949 and ruled through the turbulent 1960s and 1970s. His Great Leap Forward industrialisation drive caused a famine that killed tens of millions, and the Cultural Revolution purged intellectuals, landowners, artists and Party rivals. After his death in 1976 China opened to the global economy, yet the Party still treats him as a national icon whose legacy is beyond reproach. A joke about Mao is therefore read as an insult to the Party and to its guarded account of the past.
The commercial stakes are large. China is a major market for sports stars, and local brands have signed multimillion-dollar endorsement deals with Mbappé, Erling Haaland and Stephen Curry. La Liga also apologised, saying it deeply regretted the offence among Chinese fans. What to watch now is whether more sponsors follow Mengniu and Dongpeng, and whether CCTV's restrictions on Mbappé and La Liga last.
Citazioni salienti
My comment was ill-judged, and I now understand that it hurt many people in China and in Chinese communities around the world.— Kylian Mbappé, statement
Words and deeds that hurt the feelings of the Chinese people will naturally be met with opposition from all sectors of Chinese society.— Lin Jian, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson
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