Mbappé loses two Chinese sponsorships over Mao Zedong joke

Two major Chinese companies, Dongpeng and Mengniu, ended sponsorship deals with Mbappé after a video showed him joking about Mao Zedong.

Kylian Mbappé has lost two major Chinese sponsorship deals after a video circulated online in which the Real Madrid forward appeared to joke about Mao Zedong, calling him a "Chinese dictator" while discussing an internet meme featuring his own face superimposed on historical figures.

Beverage giant Dongpeng and dairy company Mengniu both issued statements terminating their partnerships with Mbappé with immediate effect. Dongpeng declared it "firmly opposes any behaviour that hurts national feelings" and applies "zero tolerance" to such conduct. Mengniu published an identical statement.

The incident sparked significant backlash on Chinese social media platform Weibo, where the story became the most-discussed topic. Users called Mbappé's remarks "extremely serious and inappropriate" and "crossing the red line," with some demanding legal action and compensation. Football news site Dongqiudi criticised the comments as "offensive to China and the Chinese people." Mbappé remains hugely popular in China despite the controversy, which comes days after he finished outside the top three for the 2026 Ballon d'Or.