Kylian Mbappé lost two major Chinese sponsorship deals on Tuesday after a video circulated online showing the French football star making an apparent joke about former leader Mao Zedong.
Beverage giant Dongpeng announced the immediate termination of its partnership with the Real Madrid forward, stating it maintains a zero-tolerance policy toward any behavior that offends national sentiments. Shortly after, Mengniu, China’s largest dairy producer, followed suit, citing a similar zero-tolerance stance against words or actions that hurt the feelings of the Chinese people.
The decisions came after a clip emerged online in which Mbappé referenced a meme featuring his face photoshopped onto an image of Mao, describing the figure as “some guy — I think he’s a Chinese dictator.” The authenticity of the video has not been independently verified.
The news quickly became the top-trending topic on the Chinese social media platform Weibo. The development arrives days after Mbappé finished runner-up to Harry Kane in the 2024 Ballon d’Or voting.
