![La vidéo a provoqué sur les réseaux sociaux des réactions rendant compte de la sensibilité du sujet et à la mesure de la célébrité du sportif. [Jade GAO / AFP]](/cdn-cgi/image/onerror=redirect,width=640,height=640,format=webp/https://storage.googleapis.com/uploads.mongoosehq.com/url/media/193396560/c4f1e5288244c00c20fd4f6ecb8b51532d8e9dd68bbf541ed998012c449f6ba4)
Overview
- A short excerpt from the podcast The Bridge in late October showed Kylian Mbappé joking that a meme pairing his face with Mao Zedong made him laugh while calling it a “dictator” montage, and the clip went viral in China.
- Three Chinese companies — Dongpeng, Mengniu and Milkground — publicly ended their partnerships with Mbappé after the clip circulated, and state-linked outlets reported that CCTV suspended broadcasts of LaLiga matches involving him.
- Mbappé issued a multilingual apology in French, English and Mandarin saying his remark was 'maladroit' and that he was sincerely sorry for any offence caused.
- Real Madrid has tried to treat the comments as the player’s personal remark while keeping club commercial ties intact, but China Media Group and other Chinese outlets rejected that distinction and have demanded the club offer its own apology.
- Chinese platforms have removed or limited Mbappé-related content and access to his accounts, and the episode highlights how comments about Mao Zedong can quickly produce media, diplomatic and economic consequences for foreign public figures in China.