Kylian Mbappé's China crisis shows how sensitive Mao's legacy remains

Mbappé was dropped by brands and faced backlash in China after a video showed him making light of a meme comparing him to Mao Zedong; he apologized on Tuesday.

Real Madrid forward Kylian Mbappé became embroiled in a controversy after a video circulated showing him joking about a meme involving him and China's former leader Mao Zedong. In the clip, Mbappé references "a guy … I think he was a Chinese dictator" before an image of his face superimposed on Mao's body appears—a reference to his nickname "the dictator" from his time at Paris Saint-Germain.

Within hours, Mbappé faced online condemnation and was dropped by multiple brands including Mercedes and Versace. Chinese state television suspended broadcasting La Liga matches in response. On Tuesday, Mbappé apologized, saying his comment was "ill-judged" and acknowledged it "hurt many people in China." La Liga and Real Madrid also issued apologies for the offense caused.

The incident highlights the sensitivity surrounding Mao's legacy in China 50 years after his death. Most Chinese media coverage notably avoided detailing what Mbappé actually said, with some social media posts asking "What did he actually say?" The topic trended widely on Chinese social media, with one hashtag related to his apology garnering over 600 million views.