Kylian Mbappé has lost at least three Chinese brand partnerships after a circulating clip appeared to show the French captain referring to Mao Zedong as a “Chinese dictator,” triggering a major backlash in China.
Beverage maker Dongpeng, dairy giant Mengniu and cheese maker Milkground announced on Tuesday that they were ending their agreements with Mbappé. Each said it opposes “any words and actions that hurt national sentiment.”
The companies did not explicitly name the reason for terminating the deals, but the announcements came after a clip circulated on X that appeared to show Mbappé being interviewed ahead of appearing on the French online talk show “The Bridge.”
In the video, Mbappé is asked about his favourite meme of himself. He replies that it was “a video someone made of a guy … I think he was a Chinese dictator” before the video shows an altered image depicting Mbappé’s face on the blue-suited body of Mao Zedong.
Mbappé loses Chinese sponsors as ‘Mao Zedong’ remark sparks BACKLASH – Global Times
The athlete reportedly confessed to not knowing who the leader was, calling him ‘a Chinese dictator’
The social media fallout led to firms like Dongpeng and Mengniu axing their partnerships https://t.co/BXwHWTxCGo
— RT (@RT_com) October 27, 2026
Football fans have long joked online that Mbappé “overshadows” teammates and teams, calling him a dictator, while memes depicting him as Mao or other autocratic leaders have circulated widely.
Dongpeng, Mengniu and Milkground issued similarly worded statements on Tuesday, with each opposing “any words and actions that hurt national sentiment.”
China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Guo Jiakun said: “Words and actions that hurt the feelings of the Chinese people will naturally be met with joint opposition from all sectors of Chinese society.”
Social platform RedNote also joined the criticism. It said its content partnership with Mbappé ended on December 31, 2024, and that it would “remove related promotional materials,” while opposing “any conduct that hurts national sentiment.”
Mbappé’s RedNote account was not accepting new followers on Tuesday.
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Mbappé has been a prominent advertising face in China, appearing in campaigns for products ranging from electrolyte drinks to milk and cheese. In one Dongpeng commercial, he delivers a slogan in Chinese; in a Mengniu ad, he appears alongside Lionel Messi.
The backlash quickly spread across Chinese social media. The hashtags “Dongpeng ends partnership with Mbappé” and “Several brands end partnerships with Mbappé” topped Weibo’s trending list, while “Football fans boycott Mbappé” was also trending, with some users criticising his remarks or telling him not to visit China.
The Associated Press was immediately unable to reach Mbappé’s representatives for comment.
