Mbappe loses Chinese sponsors: Two major brands end deals over Mao joke
Dongpeng and Mengniu terminated all cooperation with the Real Madrid forward after a video of his comments on a historical figure went viral on Weibo.
By Leila Reynolds ·
Two major Chinese corporations severed ties with Kylian Mbappe on Tuesday. The moves followed the viral spread of a video in which the French striker joked about former leader Mao Zedong.
Mbappe, 27, lost two key sponsors in a single day. Dongpeng Beverage and Mengniu Dairy, both giants in the Chinese market, announced they were ending all cooperation with the footballer immediately.
Dongpeng stated it had a zero tolerance policy for behavior that offended national sentiments. The company noted that AI generated images of Mbappe drinking its sports beverage had aired during the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Mengniu, the country’s largest dairy producer, issued similar language, saying it opposed words or actions that hurt the feelings of the Chinese people.
The controversy centered on a video where Mbappe identified his favorite internet meme. He described it as his face digitally placed on the image of a Chinese dictator. The reference pointed to a popular meme that superimposed his features onto photos of Mao, the founding leader who died in 1976.
In China, humor involving Mao is often viewed as a social taboo. The hashtag Dongpeng Beverage ends cooperation with Mbappe trended at the top of Weibo, the nation’s primary social media platform. Users on the site called the remarks extremely serious and unacceptable. Some called for the removal of his image from energy drink bottles.
Dongqiudi, a leading Chinese football outlet, released a statement on Monday evening. It described the comments as offensive to China and the Chinese people. The outlet said the remarks hurt the feelings of fans and the general public.
Mbappe had previously addressed the meme in an interview with L’Equipe in September. He noted that while some saw the comparison as funny, others felt it was less amusing due to the historical damage caused by such figures. He stated he did not believe he had ever brought misery to millions of people.
The brand terminations arrived one day after Mbappe lost the Ballon d’Or award to Harry Kane. The French captain, who is nicknamed Guigui in China due to a Ninja Turtles meme, had millions of followers on social media before this incident. Past controversies have seen global stars dropped by Chinese sponsors after comments on sensitive topics like Taiwan or Hong Kong.
