Soccer star Kylian Mbappe said he was sorry for referring to China’s former leader Mao Zedong as a dictator on “The Bridge” podcast.
Mbappe’s biggest sponsors in China responded swiftly. Dongpeng, Mengniu and Milkground — which produce beverages, dairy and cheese, respectively — announced they ended their agreements with the Frenchman.
“My comment was ill-judged, and I now understand that it hurt many people in China and in Chinese communities around the world,” Mbappe said Tuesday in a statement. “I apologize 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.”
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The apology was the first step in mending a relationship that quickly deteriorated. The Chinese Football Association demanded a “public and formal apology” from Mbappe and his club team, Real Madrid.
The blowback hit hard. The China Media Group announced that it would suspend plans to broadcast games from La Liga, the Spanish league that features elite clubs like Real Madrid and Barcelona.
La Liga officials said in a statement that the organization “deeply regrets the offense caused to Chinese fans by Mbappe’s recent comments. These remarks were made in a personal capacity and do not represent La Liga.”
The league further noted that it plans to create a new protocol between players and clubs to prevent further incidents in China.
Mao is one of the most recognizable leaders in modern Chinese history. He led the nation’s Communist Party in a successful revolution against the Nationalist Party, which ended in 1949.
Many historians describe him as an authoritarian responsible for as many as 80 million deaths.
Even so, many people in China regard Mao with a degree of reverence. His image appears on the nation’s currency.
Mbappe appeared unaware of Mao during his appearance on “The Bridge.” The hosts asked the World Cup champion about his favorite memes shared by fans.
He cited “a video someone made of a guy … I think he was a Chinese dictator.” The video cut to show an image that transposed Mbappe’s face over a famed portrait of Mao.
It’s a common meme format among the 27-year-old’s supporters. The jokes snowballed during this year’s World Cup, as “The Dictator” became Mbappe’s most popular nickname.
Videos generated by artificial intelligence showed him walking alongside infamous leaders like North Korea’s Kim Jong Un. Fans in the stands donned French flags that featured Mbappe in the middle dressed in military garb like Napoleon.
He earned the comparisons on the field for bossing around referees, invading opposing defenses and accepting praise from teammates — including a bow from French national team coach Didier Deschamps.
But the Chinese officials who condemned Mbappe’s recent comments didn’t seem concerned about his history with the nickname.
“Words and actions that hurt the feelings of the Chinese people will naturally be met with joint opposition from all sectors of Chinese society,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said.
The tiff with Mbappe and La Liga isn’t the first time that the powerhouse nation has tried to flex its muscle against an international sports league. The NBA’s business in China came to a screeching halt in 2019 after Houston Rockets General Manager Daryl Morey tweeted in support of Hong Kong protesters who opposed the Chinese government.
Rockets owner Tilman Fertitta responded by saying his team was “not a political organization.” League Commissioner Adam Silver said the executive “did not represent the views of the Rockets or the NBA.”
The backpedaling wasn’t enough to keep China from taking league games off the air. The NBA wasn’t officially banned in the world’s second-largest economy, but games disappeared from TV and sponsorships were pulled.
The NBA returned to China for a preseason showcase in 2025 after six years away.
La Liga finds itself in a similar predicament. In August, the league announced a fresh deal with Chinese media company Migu that would broadcast all 380 La Liga games per season through the 2029-30 campaign. The distribution deal is part of an effort to extend the organization’s reach beyond Europe.
“I take on the responsibility of working with our clubs and players to strengthen awareness of and respect for different cultures,” La Liga President Javier Tebas said in a statement. “We want to nurture this relationship through action, and we will implement concrete measures to help ensure that situations like this do not happen again.”
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