Mbappe Drops Two Chinese Brands After Mao Meme

Dongpeng Beverage and Mengniu Dairy both terminated their commercial agreements with Kylian Mbappe on Tuesday. The two companies, major players in the Chinese market, cited a zero-tolerance policy regarding the offense of national sentiments. They announced the split with immediate effect after a video surfaced showing the France captain joking about a viral meme.

The incident began when a clip circulated online featuring Mbappe discussing internet memes. He identified the funniest one he had seen as a digital alteration of his face onto the image of a man he described as a Chinese dictator. The reference pointed to a popular meme comparing the 27-year-old to Mao Zedong, the founding leader of China who died in 1976.

Dongpeng stated in a release that the company firmly opposes behavior that offends national feelings. The drinks giant had regularly displayed advertisements during this year's FIFA World Cup featuring AI-generated images of Mbappe consuming their sports drink. Mengniu, the country's largest dairy producer, issued a similar statement. It noted that the company opposes words or actions that hurt the feelings of the Chinese people.

Mbappe had previously addressed the meme in an interview with the French sports newspaper L'Equipe in September. He acknowledged that part of the comparison was funny for some people. However, he noted that the resemblance to historical figures who caused damage and misery was less amusing. He said he did not believe he had ever done anything like that in his life.

The reaction in China turned critical on Monday evening. Dongqiudi, a leading online football outlet in the country, called the remarks offensive to China and its people. They said the comments hurt the feelings of Chinese football fans. On the social media platform Weibo, the topic regarding Dongpeng ending its cooperation with Mbappe became the top trending story.

Users on Weibo described the remarks as crossing a red line. Many called the comments extremely serious and unacceptable. Some urged Dongpeng to remove Mbappe's image from their energy drink bottles. The footballer had been hugely popular in the region prior to the incident, holding millions of followers on social media. He was known locally by the nickname Guigui, a reference to a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles meme.

The brand exits came one day after Mbappe lost the Ballon d'Or award to Harry Kane. The loss marked a significant moment in the footballer's career, but the controversy in China shifted the narrative. The timing added to the pressure on the Real Madrid forward as he faced immediate commercial consequences.

This follows a pattern of global sports figures facing backlash in China for touching on sensitive topics. Former NBA player Dwight Howard drew fury in 2023 after referring to Taiwan as a country. Daryl Morey, then general manager of the Houston Rockets, also caused a sponsorship crisis in 2019 after supporting Hong Kong protests. These precedents set the stage for the current reaction to Mbappe's comments.