Kylian Mbappe’s commercial position in China has suffered a major setback after three companies ended their agreements with the Real Madrid forward, while television coverage of LaLiga has reportedly also been suspended.
Beverage company Dongpeng, dairy group Mengniu and cheese producer Milkground all announced on Tuesday that they were ending their partnerships with Mbappe. Their statements did not quote the specific comments that caused the controversy, but each referred to remarks that had offended Chinese national sentiment.
Dongpeng said: “Effective immediately, we are terminating all cooperation with Kylian Mbappe.”
Mengniu said it “firmly opposes and has zero tolerance for any words or actions that hurt the feelings of the Chinese people”.
The backlash followed a short clip connected to The Bridge, a French online show. Mbappe was asked which meme featuring him he liked most and referred to a video of “a guy … I think he was a Chinese dictator”. An edited image then showed his face on the body of Mao Zedong.
The Associated Press reported the incident, although the footage has not been independently verified. The BBC said The Bridge had since removed the original video from its YouTube channel.
RedNote, the social media platform whose content partnership with Mbappe ended at the end of 2024, said it would remove promotional material linked to the player. The state-run Global Times also reported that Dior, On and Hublot had taken Mbappe-related content down from their Weibo pages.
New users are reportedly unable to follow Mbappe’s accounts on RedNote or Weibo. The issue has also been raised with China’s foreign ministry.
A spokesperson said that “words and actions that hurt the feelings of the Chinese people will naturally be met with joint opposition from all sectors of Chinese society”, according to AP.
LaLiga broadcasts reportedly suspended
The impact has extended beyond Mbappe’s commercial deals. The Global Times said Shanghai-based The Paper had reported that China Media Group, the parent organisation of state broadcaster CCTV, had suspended broadcasts of matches involving LaLiga and Mbappe.
CCTV news applications have also removed content about the striker. Neither LaLiga nor Real Madrid had made a public comment at the time of writing, and there was no indication of how long any suspension might continue.
Mbappe has not responded publicly, while The Bridge has also made no statement.
The controversy comes after a significant week on the pitch for the forward. Mbappe scored as Real Madrid defeated Barcelona 2-1 in the Clasico at Camp Nou on Sunday, although the match also brought fitness concerns over Fede Valverde.
The reference to a “dictator” is not new in discussions surrounding Mbappe. The label has been used because of the influence he is perceived to have at club and international level, and he has previously addressed the subject.
In a France Football interview in September, he said the memes “sometimes reveals a lack of political and human awareness among people”, as quoted by the BBC.
Mbappe has also contributed goals and assists in recent weeks, including during Real Madrid’s 4-1 Champions League victory over RB Leipzig. The club are due to play Racing Santander on Sunday, as attention remains focused on the consequences of the controversy in China.
