Kylian Mbappé was asked about his favourite meme of himself in an interview before an appearance on the French talk show The Bridge. The 27-year-old Real Madrid and France player, who has millions of followers on Chinese social media, described an altered image as “some guy – I think he's a Chinese dictator.”
The meme put Mbappé’s face on the body of Mao Zedong, the founding leader of the People’s Republic of China, who died in 1976. Jokes about Mao are considered disrespectful in China and remain a social taboo.
The video spread online and Chinese football outlet Dongqiudi amplified the criticism. It called the remarks “offensive to China and the Chinese people” and said they “have hurt the feelings of Chinese football fans and the Chinese people.”
On Tuesday, Dongpeng, an energy drink giant, said it opposed conduct that offends national sentiment. “Our company firmly opposes and has a zero-tolerance policy towards any behaviour that offends national sentiments,” it said, adding: “with immediate effect we are terminating all cooperation with Kylian Mbappé.”
Mengniu, China’s largest dairy producer, issued its own termination notice the same day. “With immediate effect our company is terminating all cooperation with Kylian Mbappé,” it said. The company added: “Mengniu firmly opposes and has a zero-tolerance policy towards any words or actions that hurt the feelings of the Chinese people.”
“Dongpeng Beverage ends cooperation with Mbappé” became the top-trending subject on Weibo. At least three companies, Dongpeng, Mengniu and cheese maker Milkground, announced on Tuesday that they were ending agreements with him.
The response reached beyond the companies. Lin Jian, China’s foreign ministry spokesperson, said: “We have noted the relevant reports. Words and deeds that hurt the feelings of the Chinese people will naturally be met with opposition from all sectors of Chinese society.”
Chinese state broadcaster CCTV suspended La Liga matches in response to the controversy.
The reaction came after years in which Mbappé had built a large following in China. Fans nicknamed him “Guigui”, meaning Turtle in Chinese, after a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles meme. AI-generated adverts of the France captain drinking a Dongpeng sports drink had also appeared regularly across China during this year’s World Cup.
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