Netizen Voices: Mbappé and China remarks
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The gist
Real Madrid forward Kylian Mbappé was dropped by two major Chinese brands and apologized after a video joked about Mao Zedong.
The fallout spread to La Liga broadcasts and exposed how tightly China polices jokes about its leaders.
Background
Kylian Mbappé is a French footballer, Real Madrid forward and 2018 World Cup winner, described as perhaps the biggest name in soccer as the Ronaldo–Messi era ends. On the French podcast The Bridge he was asked which meme of himself he found funniest and cited one with his face superimposed on Mao Zedong's body, saying "I think it's a Chinese dictator." Mao's legacy is still not questioned in China and satire involving the former leader is taboo, so sponsors moved quickly: Mengniu, Milkground and Dongpeng Beverage dropped him, with reports suggesting each of his three Chinese contracts is worth $3 million to $6 million a year.
How it unfolded
- Oct 27, 2026Mbappé was dropped by two major brands in China after a video circulated of him apparently joking about Mao Zedong; he issued a public apology the same day, saying his remarks were inappropriate and had hurt many people in the Chinese and global Chinese communities.
- Oct 28, 2026A bus featuring Mbappé for Dongpeng Beverage Group's "Bushuila" electrolyte drink was still seen on a street in Shanghai.
- Oct 31, 2026Singaporean Chinese-language outlet Lianhe Zaobao published an article on Sanrio's Hello Kitty apology and polarized netizen reactions, framing it as China's "era of major apologies."
- Nov 1, 2026China's state broadcaster declined to broadcast La Liga matches on Sunday; CCTV aired none of Saturday's fixtures, including Barcelona's win over Alavés, and Real Madrid's clash with Racing Santander was also absent.
- Nov 2, 2026La Liga's president met China's ambassador to Spain to help "find solutions."
- Nov 3, 2026Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said, "We take seriously the apology the individual concerned has made."
- Nov 4, 2026France 24 reported on how Chinese AI is censoring the controversy.
- Nov 7, 2026China Digital Times published its "Netizen Voices" roundup on the story, which The New York Times described as "one of the more improbable football-related storylines of recent times."
- Nov 8, 2026Asia News Network/Daily Star reported that Mbappé and La Liga had apologized to China over the Mao Zedong remarks.
Key terms
- La Liga
- Professional association football league in Spain and the highest level of the Spanish football league system.
- CCTV
- China's national state television broadcaster, headquartered in Beijing and supervised by the Communist Party's publicity department.
Source: Wikipedia
Who’s saying what
- Official
- Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said any words or actions offending the Chinese people would be rejected by society, and that China takes seriously the apology the individual concerned has made.
- State media
- Chinese state media criticized Real Madrid's response as "perfunctory" with no internal accountability and no promise of improvement.
- Public
- Some netizens responded cryptically, "Just look at a renminbi banknote and you'll understand."
- Public
- Others were skeptical, asking why authorities don't focus more on domestic issues and citing an unsolved killing of an anti-fraud influencer and a Liaoning case where 78 students shared one syringe needle.
- Public
- Some were sarcastic, saying a matter that could have been settled with a minor insult became known worldwide because of repeated demands for apologies, and that "perhaps foreigners should stop praying before every meal and instead apologize to China."
- Expert
- China expert Marie Holzman said the case shows news in China can be "an absolute kingdom of absurdity," amounting to condemning Mbappé without knowing why.
Still unverified
Reports suggest each of Mbappé's three Chinese partner contracts is worth between $3 million and $6 million a year. One source interpreted his off-the-cuff remark as "likely" referring to himself and his reputation as a "dictator" at former club Paris Saint-Germain.