‘I think he was a Chinese dictator’: Kylian Mbappé backtracks on stray comment after he starts losing endorsements overseas
The French football superstar was asked on a French TV show about his favorite meme of himself, and he seemed to describe one based on Mao Zedong.
Soccer star Kylian Mbappé has apologized for an ill-advised comment in which he referred to Mao Zedong, the founding leader of Communist China, as a dictator. The backlash led to losses of brand deals with three Chinese companies. In a statement on Tuesday, Mbappé expressed regret for hurting people in China and Chinese communities around the world, emphasizing that his intention was not to offend.
The companies that severed ties with him included Dongpeng, Mengniu, and Milkground, all of which condemned any words or actions that could hurt national sentiment. The controversy started after a clip circulated on X showing Mbappé jokingly referring to Mao Zedong as a dictator, accompanied by an altered image featuring his face on Mao Zedong’s body.
Despite many Chinese people revering Mao, his legacy includes authoritarian rule and a famine that killed an estimated 30 million people. Consequently, Mbappé's promotional materials on RedNote, a social media platform, were removed, and his account was banned from accepting new followers.
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