Mbappe dropped by Chinese brands after backlash over alleged Mao meme remarks

Kylian Mbappe has lost endorsements from several Chinese brands following a backlash over his alleged comments about a viral meme featuring an image resembling Mao Zedong, China's late leader.

A video that surfaced online on Monday appears to show the French footballer describing the funniest meme he had seen of himself as one in which his face had been morphed onto that of "a Chinese dictator". ET Online has not been able to authenticate the video.

The memes feature Mbappe's face superimposed on images of military and political leaders, portraying him as someone who calls the shots at the teams he plays for.


The controversy has drawn a sharp response in China, where Mao, the founder of the People's Republic of China who died in 1976, continues to be idolised by many as the nation's saviour. Jokes about him are considered taboo.

Eastroc Beverage, which had featured Mbappe in advertisements for its drinks, announced on China's Weibo social media platform that it was ending its partnership with the footballer.

In its statement, the company said it firmly opposed "behaviour that hurts national sentiment"." Effective immediately, we are ending all cooperation with Kylian Mbappe," it added.

Dairy companies Mengniu and Milkground have also ended their partnerships with Mbappe. His representatives did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The backlash follows remarks Mbappe made in an interview with French sports newspaper L'Equipe last month. While describing some aspects of the meme trend as harmless fun, he said viral images depicting him as a dictator showed "a lack of political and human awareness".

China's Foreign Ministry also weighed in on the controversy. Asked about the incident, a ministry spokesperson told Reuters that words and actions that hurt the feelings of the Chinese people "will naturally be met with joint opposition from all sectors of the Chinese society".

The fallout has also extended to football broadcasts and advertising. China's state television has halted broadcasts of all matches and events involving LaLiga and Mbappe, while advertisements featuring the footballer have been removed, state-backed media outlet the Paper reported on Tuesday.