Mbappe loses two major Chinese sponsors over joke about Mao Zedong
The French forward was dropped by Dongpeng and Mengniu after a video surfaced showing him referencing a meme that placed his face on the late Chinese leader.
By Sofia Molina ·
Kylian Mbappe has lost two major commercial partners in China following a viral video in which he joked about a meme involving Mao Zedong. The split marks a sharp turn in the 27-year-old's relationship with Chinese brands and fans after he was named a key face for their campaigns this year.
Dongpeng Beverage announced the termination of its contract with the Real Madrid forward on Tuesday. The drinks company stated it maintains a zero-tolerance policy toward behavior that offends national sentiments. It noted that all cooperation would end immediately. Until now, Dongpeng had run advertisements during the FIFA World Cup featuring AI-generated images of Mbappe consuming its sports drink.
Mengniu, the largest dairy producer in China, also cut ties with the player. In a separate statement, the company said it firmly opposes words or actions that hurt the feelings of the Chinese people. Both companies emphasized their desire to protect the cultural values they associate with their brands in the region.
The controversy began with a video clip where Mbappe described the funniest internet meme he had seen. He said the image featured his face digitally placed on "some guy" who he believed was a Chinese dictator. The remark appeared to reference a popular meme that superimposed the footballer's face onto images of Mao. In China, humor about the founding leader, who died in 1976, is widely considered disrespectful and remains a social taboo.
The topic quickly became the most-discussed subject on Weibo, a major Chinese social platform. Users described the remarks as crossing a red line and called for Mbappe's image to be removed from product packaging. The Dongqiudi website, a leading football outlet in the country, labeled the comments offensive to the Chinese people. Mbappe had previously addressed similar memes in an interview with L'Equipe in September, acknowledging that comparisons to military figures were less funny due to historical damage.
This incident occurred one day after Mbappe lost the Ballon d'Or to Harry Kane. It follows a pattern of global sports figures facing backlash in China over sensitive political topics. In 2023, NBA player Dwight Howard drew anger for calling Taiwan a country. In 2019, Houston Rockets general manager Daryl Morey posted support for Hong Kong protests, which led to a one-year suspension of NBA sponsorship deals and TV broadcasts in China.
Source: Al Jazeera
