Mbappé apologizes for calling Mao a dictator

The athlete gave in to Chinese pressure and apologized for the statement. “My comment was reckless, and I now understand that it hurt many people in China and in Chinese communities around the world,” Mbappé said in a statement.

“I apologize to everyone who felt hurt by my words. That was in no way my intention. I have deep respect for the Chinese people and their history, and I sincerely regret what happened,” he said.

According to information from the Associated Press agency, beverage manufacturer Dongpeng, dairy giant Mengniu and cheese producer Milkground announced this Tuesday (27), through statements with similar content, the termination of contracts with Mbappé, claiming opposition to “any words or actions that hurt national sentiment”.

The Chinese social network RedNote is not accepting new followers on Mbappé’s account on the platform. The company had a content partnership with the Real Madrid player until the end of 2024 and has now said that it will provide for the “removal of related promotional materials” and that it opposes “any conduct that hurts national sentiment”.

Chinese state broadcaster CCTV also suspended broadcasts of the Spanish football league and any matches featuring Mbappé.

In a recent interview, Mbappé had been asked what his favorite meme involving the player himself would be. “A video that someone made of a guy… I think he was a Chinese dictator”, replied the athlete, referring to a montage in which his face was placed on an image of Mao Zedong.

The player is often the target of jokes and memes calling him a dictator, supposedly for clashing with other stars and asking them to leave the teams where he plays, such as Neymar, whose teammate he was at Paris Saint-Germain.

In response to a question on the matter, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun stated that “words and actions that hurt the feelings of the Chinese people will naturally meet with joint opposition from all sectors of Chinese society.”