Three Chinese Brands End Mbappé Deals Worth One Million Followers Each

Kylian Mbappé's commercial standing in China deteriorated this week after a clip from the French program "The Bridge" circulated in which he described a meme of his face superimposed on Mao Zedong as showing "some guy. I think he's a Chinese dictator." Reuters said it could not independently authenticate the video.

Three sponsors moved first. Dongpeng Beverage, Mengniu, and cheese maker Milkground announced they were ending their partnerships with the French forward, according to company statements compiled by China.org.cn, a state-run web portal. Dongpeng's sports drink brand Bushuila had named Mbappé its ambassador only in April. On and Dior have removed Chinese promotional content featuring him, but neither has announced a global termination, the Chinese outlet Phoenix reported.

CCTV suspended La Liga coverage and matches involving Mbappé on Oct. 26, and pulled advertisements in which he appeared. His accounts on Xiaohongshu and Weibo were also muted, Renmin Ruiping, People's Daily's online commentary platform, said. As of Oct. 28, neither the resumption of broadcasts nor the lifting of account restrictions had been confirmed.

Mbappé issued an apology in Chinese, French, and English on X on Oct. 27, calling his comments ill-judged and saying they hurt Chinese communities worldwide. La Liga followed with a statement expressing regret for the hurt caused to Chinese fans and noting that his personal views do not represent the league's position. "We will listen to his words, but watch his actions even more closely," a China Media Group representative said on Oct. 27.

The commercial stakes are measurable on the platforms themselves. Mbappé had about a million followers each on Xiaohongshu and Weibo, and four topics about him ranked among Weibo's top 10 searches on Oct. 27, Reuters reported. People's Daily's Renmin Ruiping commentary argued that celebrities who cross public boundaries become liabilities for brands, and that profiting from a market while offending its history and culture will not be accepted.

China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman Guo Jiakun said the ministry was aware of the reports. "Words and actions that hurt the feelings of the Chinese people will naturally be met with joint opposition from all sectors of Chinese society," he said.

Mbappé plays for Real Madrid in Spain's La Liga.