Kylian Mbappé has apologised for a remark about a “Chinese dictator” that many in China took as a reference to Mao Zedong.
The Real Madrid forward posted the apology on X on Tuesday after losing three major endorsement deals in China. In the post, Mbappé said he did not intend to cause offence.
He wrote, “During a recent interview, I reacted to an image of myself. 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. This was absolutely not my intention. I have deep respect for the Chinese people and their history, and I am sincerely sorry.”
The controversy started from a short clip that circulated on Monday.
Mbappé was reacting to memes of himself when he said his funniest was “a video someone made of a guy … I think he was a Chinese dictator.” The video then showed his face edited onto Mao’s body.
Mao is still revered in China as the founder of the People’s Republic, and jokes about him are seen as taboo. The reaction was immediate on Weibo.
By Tuesday, Dongpeng Beverage, Mengniu Dairy and Milkground Food Tech all announced they were ending their partnerships with Mbappé, saying they oppose any words that hurt national sentiment.
LaLiga also issued its own apology to Chinese fans, saying Mbappé’s comments were personal and did not represent the league.
Mbappé’s image is still visible across China, from supermarkets to subway ads, but brands have already started pulling them down.
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