Mbappé (Real Madrid), Chinese government against player over meme

Chinese government banned his matches and two sponsors ended deals after Mbappé joked about a meme depicting him as Mao Zedong.

Kylian Mbappé faced backlash in China after commenting on a viral meme that depicted him as Mao Zedong, founder of the People's Republic of China. In a social media video discussing various memes about himself, Mbappé mentioned using the image of a "Chinese dictator" for PlayStation games with friends, an apparent reference to Mao. The Chinese government responded swiftly, with the Foreign Ministry spokesperson stating that "any words or actions that offend the feelings of the Chinese people will naturally encounter widespread condemnation from Chinese society."

The consequences were immediate. Beverage company Dongpeng and dairy firms Mengniu and Milkground terminated their sponsorship contracts with the Real Madrid forward, citing offense to the Chinese people. State broadcaster CCTV suspended transmission of La Liga matches featuring Mbappé, effective Monday evening. The timing compounded Mbappé's disappointment after finishing second in the 2026 Ballon d'Or voting, with the award going to Harry Kane.