Mbappé, if you take me to court, I'm ruined

Meme creator Younes Khelifi joked he'd be 'ruined' if sued after his Mao Zedong meme sparked a diplomatic row involving Chinese sponsors and state TV.

The creator of a Mao Zedong meme that triggered a major controversy involving Kylian Mbappé has spoken out about the fallout. Younes Khelifi, known online as 'frenchaicovers', created the meme in 2023 as a joke to share with friends, but it went viral after Mbappé mentioned it as his favourite meme, causing Chinese companies to drop sponsorships and state television to threaten cancelling LaLiga broadcasts.

Khelifi told So Foot he was shocked by the scale of the incident. "At first, I only made this to laugh with my friends, and now I see how the matter circulates and grows," he said. When he realised the controversy, he tweeted: "If you take me to court, Mbappé, I'm ruined!" — a reference to the vast wealth disparity between himself and the Real Madrid star.

The meme creator expressed sympathy for Mbappé and said he never intended harm. He even considered contacting the French embassy in China to ensure everything was resolved, acknowledging the request was "peculiar, even ridiculous."