Why Mbappé Angered China and What the Fallout Could Be

TOM WILLIAMS, THE ATHLETIC

If Kylian Mbappé endured a frustrating Monday evening watching Harry Kane pip him to the Ballon d’Or in London, the headlines greeting him the following morning were unlikely to lift his spirits. In one of the most bizarre football stories in recent memory, Mbappé inadvertently sparked a major storm in China after footage emerged of him laughing about an internet meme depicting him as former Chinese leader Mao Zedong.

The subsequent fallout saw two Chinese commercial partners cut ties with him and prompted the Real Madrid superstar to issue a grovelling apology. He admitted his remarks were "ill-considered" and stated he was "sincerely sorry" for any offense caused. Similar statements of regret followed from La Liga president Javier Tebas and the league itself.

Mbappé’s comments also drew sharp criticism from the Chinese Football Association, which demanded a formal public apology from Real Madrid.

Mbappé made the remarks in a short social media video seemingly filmed prior to his appearance in April last year on The Bridge, a YouTube channel co-founded by his France and Real Madrid teammate Aurélien Tchouaméni. Sitting in a makeup chair while a stylist works on him, the forward fields a series of quick-fire questions about his favourite musical artist and the internet memes he finds funniest.

Asked which meme featuring himself makes him laugh the most, the France captain replied: "When they made a video with this guy — I think it was a Chinese dictator — and put my..."

His voice trails off as he points to his face. While he does not mention Mao by name, an image of the former Chinese leader with Mbappé’s face superimposed onto it is then edited into the video.

"I use it quite a lot with my friends when we're online playing PlayStation," the 27-year-old forward added.

It remains unclear when the clip first surfaced online, but it began gaining traction in China earlier this week after being highlighted on an online football forum.

Mbappé later issued a statement saying: "During a recent interview, I reacted to an image of myself. My comment was ill-considered and I now realise it has hurt many people in China and across Chinese communities worldwide. I apologise to anyone who felt offended by my words. That was never my intention. I hold deep respect for the Chinese people and their history, and I am sincerely sorry."

When he died in 1976 at the age of 82, Mao left behind a complex historical legacy in China. He led the Communist Party to power and presided over the establishment of the People's Republic of China in 1949. However, he also governed the nation through turbulent political upheavals, imposing a totalitarian regime that endured until his death. His aggressive industrialisation drive between 1958 and 1962, known as the Great Leap Forward, resulted in a catastrophic famine that claimed tens of millions of lives.

Over the following decade, the Cultural Revolution initiated by Mao sought to violently eradicate capitalist and traditional elements from Chinese society, further cementing a personality cult around him. Although China has pursued a more open foreign policy in the half-century since his passing, Mao's memory remains fiercely safeguarded by the ruling Communist Party.

"Mao’s legacy in China is complicated," Cameron Wilson, a football journalist based in the country for over 20 years, told The Athletic. "His portrait still appears on banknotes and coins, and many people, particularly from older generations, revere him as a great leader. There is an awareness that not all his past actions were right. However, in China, criticising or showing disrespect toward leaders — or even giving that impression — is socially, culturally, and politically taboo. For some Chinese, criticism of Mao is perceived as an attack on China itself. Chinese culture generally favours expressing disapproval or sensitive opinions indirectly. In public communication, maintaining a respectful tone is typically valued over blunt personal expression. To an extent, the backlash against Mbappé’s comments is performative, given that political correctness is a massive driver in China. This is especially true for organisations with ties to the people or institutions whose sentiments were hurt."

Chinese dairy giant Mengniu and beverage company Dongpeng both announced they were ending their partnerships with Mbappé. Chinese media outlet The Paper also reported that state broadcaster CCTV had decided to pull matches featuring the French star from its schedules.

La Liga and its president Javier Tebas were quick to issue apologies to the "Chinese people". The league stated it was "working with our partners and institutional contacts in China to resolve the situation that has arisen."

Mbappé is a familiar face in China, regularly featuring in television broadcasts during last year's World Cup through an advertising campaign for a sports drink made by Dongpeng.

The French forward is far from the first high-profile athlete to run afoul of cultural and political sensitivities in China. In 2019, former Arsenal playmaker Mesut Özil triggered an uproar after criticising China’s treatment of its Uyghur Muslim population. A spokesperson for China’s foreign ministry accused the former Germany international of falling for "fake news", and an Arsenal fixture was promptly removed from broadcast listings.

That same year, Houston Rockets general manager Daryl Morey cost the NBA millions of dollars in commercial revenue after posting a social media message backing pro-democracy protesters in Hong Kong.

So how might this latest controversy impact Mbappé and the organisations he represents?
"The potential fallout could be exceptionally severe and extend far beyond the immediate parties involved," Simon Chadwick, professor of Eurasian sport at EM Lyon Business School, told The Athletic.

"Several factors are critical here. First, he has just penned a massive new boot deal with On. This is an ambitious brand aiming for rapid global expansion, with China earmarked as a vital market.

Earlier this year, China unveiled a new national sports strategy centered on mass-participation events like marathons and triathlons. On had targeted that very demographic. The last thing the company needed was for Mbappé to become embroiled in a controversy of this magnitude.

There are also reports that Chinese state broadcasters will boycott select La Liga fixtures. When you consider the groundwork the league has laid in China over the last five years, it is unmistakably an essential market for them.

Real Madrid are equally proactive in China, operating several academies across the country. This isn't just a case of two or three Chinese brands saying, 'We don't like this.' The situation is grave. The ramifications could be wide-ranging, deep, and felt for a long time to come."

Memes comparing Mbappé to authoritarian leaders like Mao and Joseph Stalin have circulated across social media in recent years. They emerged largely as satirical reactions to allegations that the forward exerted dictatorial influence over team affairs with France, Real Madrid, and former club Paris Saint-Germain.

During the World Cup, where Mbappé scored 10 goals to become the tournament's all-time top scorer, it was revealed that his France teammates playfully nicknamed him "Mobutu" — a nod to former DR Congo dictator Mobutu Sese Seko. While he has laughed along with the memes publicly, Mbappé has previously voiced unease that some of them cross the line.

"Some of it is funny because you can tell it's good-natured," he recently told France Football. "The other part is less amusing because you know the devastation such figures caused throughout history. Being compared to someone who murdered people or brought misery to millions…

It's a mixed bag: I realise it's a joke, but it exposes a certain lack of awareness — politically and fundamentally as human beings — on the part of some people."

Following this latest Chinese episode, which may carry a heavy commercial toll, the joke has almost certainly worn thin.