Real Madrid forward Kylian Mbappe has apologised for making “ill-judged” remarks about former Chinese leader Mao Zedong which saw the France captain dropped by several Chinese brands.
Mbappe reportedly referred to Zedong, the founding leader of Communist China, as a dictator when joking about an internet meme he had seen of himself, and has faced a fierce backlash from China, losing brand deals with three Chinese companies.
In a statement, he apologised for the “hurt” his comments caused to “many people in China and in Chinese communities around the world”.
— Kylian Mbappé (@KMbappe) October 27, 2026
The 27-year-old had deals with beverage company Dongpeng, dairy giant Mengniu and cheese maker Milkground and all three companies announced on Tuesday they were ending their agreements with the footballer.
The news came after a video clip circulated on X which showed Mbappe being interviewed ahead of appearing on French online talk show The Bridge.
Mbappe, who came second behind Harry Kane in Monday’s Ballon d’Or awards, was asked about his favourite meme of himself and replied it was “a video someone made of a guy…I think he was a Chinese dictator” before the video shows an altered image which depicts Mbappe’s face on the blue-suited body of Mao.
Mbappe has been jokingly referred to as a dictator by football fans given his huge influence on the clubs he plays for.
He released a statement on his social media accounts on Tuesday saying it was not his intention to offend anybody.
He said: “During a recent interview, I reacted to an image of myself.
“My comment was ill-judged, and I now understand that it hurt many people in China and in Chinese communities around the world.
“I apologise to everyone my words have upset. This was absolutely not my intention. I have deep respect for the Chinese people and their history, and I am sincerely sorry.”
LaLiga president Javier Tebas also apologised for Mbappe’s comments on behalf of his organisation, saying the relationship between the league and China “cannot be undermined by an isolated incident”.
He wrote on X: “LaLiga deeply regrets the dissatisfaction and offence caused in China by the remarks made by Kylian Mbappe.
“We understand the harm caused by these remarks. On behalf of LaLiga, I extend our sincere apologies to the Chinese people.
“Over the years, we have built a relationship of mutual respect, trust and cooperation with China and its government departments, sports organisations, audio-visual media institutions and millions of fans who love Spanish football.
“We cannot allow individual actions to damage this relationship, nor can we let more than 20 clubs in our professional competitions and millions of Chinese fans be adversely affected as a result.
“We are taking every possible measure and directly engaging with our partners and relevant parties in China to resolve the current situation.
“Our commitment to China, the Chinese people and relevant Chinese institutions remains unwavering.
“This relationship, built over many years, cannot be undermined by an isolated incident.”
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