Kylian Mbappé and LaLiga issued public apologies to China this Tuesday after the state television CCTV suspended the broadcasts of the Spanish league and several Chinese companies terminated their contracts with the Real Madrid forward, following remarks in which the French player referred to Mao Zedong as "a Chinese dictator."
The controversy began when Mbappé, asked in an interview on the French program The Bridge about his favorite meme, responded: "The one I laughed at the most is the one where they use my face on a Chinese dictator. I use it a lot with my friends." Although he did not mention Mao by name, the reference was unmistakable: in recent months, a video that superimposes the soccer player's face over the iconic portrait of the founder of the People's Republic of China had become popular.
What Mbappé described as a funny meme is actually a reference to one of the deadliest leaders in history. International historiography and political science consider Mao Zedong to be a dictator who wielded absolute power from 1949 until his death in 1976, and he is held politically responsible for between 40 and 70 million deaths during peacetime—primarily during the Great Leap Forward and the Cultural Revolution—which, according to most historians, makes him the leader who caused the greatest loss of human life in the 20th century, surpassing Adolf Hitler and Iósif Stalin.
In China, however, his figure enjoys legal protection: satires about former leaders associated with the Communist Party are prosecuted under the charge of "defaming heroes and martyrs."
Beijing's reaction was immediate. CCTV suspended broadcasts of LaLiga and all matches related to Mbappé starting Monday night, and pulled its advertisements and videos. The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs warned that "words and actions that hurt the feelings of the Chinese people will be rejected by all sectors of society."
Three Chinese companies announced the termination of their commercial agreements with the player. The beverage group Dongpeng (brand Bu Shui La), whose advertisements featuring Mbappé had flooded billboards and buses in Chinese cities during the 2026 World Cup, claimed "zero tolerance for behaviors that hurt national feelings." The dairy companies Mengniu and Milkground also announced the end of their cooperation. The sports portal Dongqiudi even replaced the footballer's name with the expression equivalent to "such a person does not exist" in the ranking of the 2026 Ballon d'Or, where Mbappé finished second, behind the English Harry Kane and ahead of the Spanish Lamine Yamal.
In light of the extent of the damage, Mbappé published an official statement in three languages issued by his company Interconnected Ventures from Paris: "That comment was a slip, and I understand today that it has hurt many people in China and within the Chinese community worldwide. I apologize to all those whom my words may have offended. It was never my intention."
The apologies, both from the player and the competition, have an essentially economic background. China Mobile Migu signed an agreement in August 2026 as the exclusive digital partner of LaLiga in mainland China until the 2029/30 season, and industry sources estimate the potential value of that deal to be up to 400 million euros.
The organization led by Javier Tebas expressed regret over the offense caused and clarified that the comments “were made in a personal capacity and do not represent LaLiga,” apologizing “on behalf of LaLiga and all its clubs.” Tebas also published a personal message in Chinese on the social network X. “We cannot allow an individual action to tarnish that relationship or harm the more than 20 clubs in our professional competitions and millions of Chinese fans,” he wrote.
LaLiga announced that it will implement "a protocol for awareness and communication that promotes respect for different cultures," marking an institutional concession to the pressures from Beijing, primarily driven by the underlying economic interests at stake.
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