Mbappe dropped by Chinese brands for 'offending national sentiments'

Kylian Mbappe, the France and Real Madrid striker, has been cut ties by two major Chinese brands after a video surfaced showing him making jokes about Mao Zedong. In China, jokes about the former leader are considered highly disrespectful and a social taboo. Dongpeng, a prominent drinks company, announced it was terminating all cooperation with Mbappe immediately, stating they "firmly oppose and have a zero-tolerance policy towards any behaviour that offends national sentiments."

Mengniu, China's largest dairy producer, followed suit, also ending all business ties with the football star. The announcements came after the video went viral online, featuring Mbappe joking about a meme of his face superimposed on Mao's image. The authenticity of the video has not been verified, but the incident sparked outrage on Chinese social media, with many calling the remarks "extremely serious" and urging Dongpeng to remove Mbappe's image from their products.

Despite his previous comments on the memes, Mbappe expressed his distaste for being compared to historical figures, emphasizing he had never acted like them in his life. The controversy coincided with Mbappe's loss to Harry Kane in the Ballon d'Or award.