Kylian Mbappe is dropped by Chinese brands and warned by Beijing he faces ‘rejection’ after joke about Chairman Mao sparks fury

Kylian Mbappe and LaLiga president Javier Medrano have issued apologies to China after the Real Madrid forward made an offensive joke referencing Mao Zedong. In a circulated video, Mbappe referred to a meme of his face photoshopped onto Mao as "some guy – I think he's a Chinese dictator." Mbappe admitted the comment was ill-judged, stressing that he has deep respect for China and did not intend to cause hurt.

The backlash led major Chinese brands Dongpeng and Mengniu to immediately terminate their endorsement deals with the 27-year-old French superstar. Additionally, state broadcaster China Media Group reportedly suspended LaLiga broadcasts and advertisements featuring Mbappe over the incident.