Kylian Mbappe’s latest controversy in China has added another chapter to a difficult period for the Real Madrid forward, with the fallout threatening his reputation and potentially affecting the club and La Liga.
The dispute began after an interview in which Mbappe said one of his favourite memes was a digitally altered image placing his face on that of a “Chinese dictator” – an apparent reference to former leader Mao Zedong, although he did not name him.
The remarks have provoked a strong reaction in China and involved a number of Chinese sponsors. Mbappe, Real Madrid president Javier Tebas and Real Madrid have all issued swift apologies, but those statements have so far failed to calm the situation.
The issue was examined by Catalan writer, journalist and novelist Xavier Bosch in a column for Mundo Deportivo published on Thursday. The piece was headlined: “Kylian Mbappe caught up in the crises involving Ceuta, the Catalans and China.”
Bosch described the past two months as a remarkable run of “diplomatic conflicts and political problems” for Mbappe, arguing that the Frenchman had found himself in serious difficulty with China almost unintentionally.
He compared the situation with Mbappe’s famous goal at Camp Nou, writing that the player had again ended up in trouble, this time after simply identifying a meme he found particularly funny rather than creating it himself.
“The humour lies in the image and in the reaction,” Bosch wrote. “But what defines totalitarian regimes is that they do not accept being described as totalitarian, and they also lack a sense of humour.”
The columnist said the controversy had gone beyond damage to Mbappe’s public image and finances. He claimed it had also placed significant revenues belonging to Real Madrid and La Liga at risk.
Another dispute arose after Mbappe, alongside Konate and Vinicius, partially wore a shirt bearing the words “We are all Ceuta” in support of Ceuta. Asked about the message, Mbappe said he stood in solidarity with the people of Ceuta and was not against them. His intention, he explained, was to show support for migrants who had lost their lives.
Mbappe then presented himself as neutral, saying that he was a human being before being a footballer and that he preferred not to distinguish between different cases of suffering.
Bosch also referred to an incident involving Chendo, a Real Madrid official, who told Mbappe that Catalans are called “Poles” – a reference to the insulting term sometimes used against Catalans and described by Bosch as an introductory lesson in anti-Catalan sentiment.
The article ended by portraying Mbappe’s season as a rich source of irony. Alongside the years without a trophy at Real Madrid, Bosch noted that Kane had won the Ballon d’Or and that supporters at the Santiago Bernabeu had booed Mbappe when he made mistakes.
“A player scores 14 goals in 12 matches, and then they boo him,” Bosch wrote. “What rich material for satire.”
