Memes, Mao, and Mbappé: Chinese Brands Drop Soccer Star Over "Dictator" Joke

French soccer superstar Kylian Mbappé lost major Chinese business deals after joking that Mao Zedong, the founder of Communist China, was a dictator. The comment came from a clip of a French talk show interview that spread widely on social media. Fans and companies in China reacted with anger, and several big brands quickly cut their ties with the star. Mbappé later said he was sorry, calling his comment 'ill-judged.'

The trouble began when a video from a French show called 'The Bridge' went viral online. In the clip, Mbappé was asked which online meme of himself he liked best. He chose one where his face was edited onto an image of Mao Zedong, calling the figure 'a Chinese dictator.' He did not say Mao's name out loud, but people quickly figured out who he meant.

Memes often show Mbappé as a jokey 'dictator' because he is so powerful and famous in soccer. Fans have compared him to several historical leaders in funny images online. Mbappé has actually spoken out against these memes before, saying they showed 'a lack of political and human awareness.' Even so, his comment during the interview set off a huge reaction in China.

Three Chinese companies said they were ending their deals with Mbappé right away. Dongpeng Beverage, a big energy drink brand, Inner Mongolia Mengniu Dairy, and cheese maker Milkground all posted nearly the same statement on Weibo, a popular Chinese social media site. 'Our company firmly opposes and adopts a zero-tolerance policy toward any behavior that hurts the feelings of the Chinese people,' Dongpeng said. A Chinese soccer app called Dongqiudi also said it could not translate his remarks because they 'involve statements that hurt China.'

The Chinese social media platform Xiaohongshu also distanced itself from Mbappé. He had appeared in a 2024 ad for the app that became very popular, and he had over one million followers there. By Tuesday, a notice on his account said it had been suspended 'for violating community guidelines.' Many users inside China could not find what he had actually said, because of the country's strict internet censorship.

China's government spoke up about the situation too. A foreign ministry spokesperson said that 'words and actions that hurt the feelings of the Chinese people will naturally be met with a collective boycott.' The Global Times, a state-backed newspaper, reported that soccer broadcasts featuring Mbappé had been pulled from Chinese TV. It also warned other foreign celebrities that Mbappé's experience 'should serve as a clear red line' for anyone wanting to do business in China.

La Liga, the Spanish soccer league where Mbappé plays for Real Madrid, quickly tried to smooth things over. League president Javier Tebas said Mbappé's remarks were his 'personal views' and that the league 'deeply regrets' any offense caused. He said he could not let one person's actions damage La Liga's relationship with China. Mbappé then posted his own apology, writing: '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.'

Mao Zedong is a very important but complicated figure in Chinese history. He led China from 1949 until he died in 1976, unifying the country after years of war. However, his policies also caused terrible harm — his 'Great Leap Forward' led to famines that killed tens of millions of people, and his 'Cultural Revolution' created years of political chaos. China's Communist Party says his good deeds outweigh his mistakes, and his face still appears on China's largest banknote.

This is not the first time a sports figure has upset China. In 2019, an NBA team manager posted support for protesters in Hong Kong, leading China to pull NBA games from TV for years. Former NBA star Dwight Howard also caused anger in 2023 by calling Taiwan a country, since China views Taiwan as part of its territory. These cases show how quickly China can turn against famous athletes when it feels its national identity is being disrespected.

Back home in Europe, Mbappé was in the news for another reason — he came in a very close second place for the Ballon d'Or, soccer's most famous individual award, the same day the controversy erupted. Some Chinese users said they supported the boycott even without knowing exactly what he said. Others noticed something odd: because of China's internet rules, most people inside the country could not actually read his original comments, yet many were still angry about them.