Chinese Brands Drop Mbappé as Mao Meme Backlash Grows

By Grace Kim

Two Chinese consumer brands—dairy producer Mengniu and drinks giant Dongpeng—dropped Real Madrid forward Kylian Mbappé after unverified clips linked a Mao Zedong meme to remarks that offended Chinese consumers. Neither brand explicitly explained the contract terminations, but both referred to damage to national sentiment.

What did Mbappé appear to say?

According to unverified clips from an interview with French talk show The Bridge, Mbappé reportedly described a meme: “that makes me laugh the most...the one where there's a video of a guy, I think it's a Chinese dictator”. His face appeared superimposed on an image resembling Mao.

He added: “I use it with my friends all the time,” in the circulating clips. Mbappé did not identify Mao by name, and the interview's broadcast date remains unclear. The Bridge's original video is no longer on its YouTube channel, while screengrabs have spread across Chinese social media. Neither Mbappé nor the show had commented.

The uncertainty remains the central problem: neither the player nor the program has authenticated the disputed recording.

Why did the response move so quickly?

On Monday night, Chinese football forum Dongqiudi said the remarks were “inappropriate” and “hurt the feelings of Chinese people”. It added: “As his remarks were offensive to China and the Chinese people, we are unable to translate them”.

Foreign ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said: “We have noted the relevant reports. Words and deeds that hurt the feelings of the Chinese people will naturally be met with opposition from all sectors of Chinese society.”

Some users accused Mbappé of “profiting from the Chinese market yet making remarks that offend the Chinese public”. Another Weibo comment read: “International public figures, in particular, should show greater respect and sensitivity, as national sentiment must never be taken lightly.”

Mbappé's popularity in China and his huge portfolio of brand endorsements became part of the criticism, as users questioned whether his commercial benefits matched his public conduct. The backlash fused a disputed recording with his commercial standing.

Why does a Mao reference carry such weight?

Mao founded Communist China in 1949 and ruled through tumultuous decades in the 1960s and 1970s. His Great Leap Forward, an attempt at rapid industrialisation, led to a famine that killed tens of millions. The Cultural Revolution then became a violent purge of people viewed as threats to Communism, including intellectuals, landowners, artists and rivals within the Party.

Mao's death in 1976 brought an era that opened China to the global economy. Yet the Chinese Communist Party continued to hail him as a national icon whose legacy was beyond reproach.

That history explains why the clip moved beyond football into a dispute over national respect.

What have brands and broadcasters done?

The backlash continued to grow, and Chinese state broadcaster CCTV suspended La Liga matches, The Paper reported on Tuesday. State-owned newspaper The Global Times reported that CCTV's news apps no longer carried content related to Mbappé.

China's largest dairy producer, Mengniu, said it “firmly opposes and has a zero-tolerance policy towards any words or actions that hurt the feelings of the Chinese people”. Drinks giant Dongpeng said: “Our company firmly opposes and has a zero-tolerance policy towards any behaviour that offends national sentiments.”

Neither brand mentioned the controversial clip. Some social media users asked what exactly Mbappé had said or done that was offensive, while the sponsors offered only general references to hurt sentiments.

Commercial partners and a state broadcaster have acted even as the disputed recording remains unverified.

Why does the “dictator” nickname matter?

Mbappé made his Real Madrid debut in August 2024. His influence and control over club and international football operations have earned him the football nickname “the dictator”.

In 2024, he sued a French influencer and kebab shop owner over the use of his name in the description of one of the shop's sandwiches. Some said the episode reinforced his “dictator” portrayal.

The nickname also made Mbappé the subject of many memes. During the 2026 World Cup, France teammate Ousmane Dembele called him Mobut, a reference to Mobutu Sese Seko, the dictator who ruled the Democratic Republic of Congo, formerly Zaire, for three decades.

In a September interview with France Football, Mbappé acknowledged the light-heartedness behind many memes but said they “sometimes reveals a lack of political and human awareness among people”.

He added: “There's a side that's a bit less funny, because we know the damage people like that have caused throughout history. Being compared to people who murder others, or who have made millions upon millions of people miserable... I don't think I've done that in my life.”

The next test for Mbappé's Chinese business is simple: whether Mengniu, Dongpeng and CCTV keep their current decisions after the disputed clip is authenticated.