China made Real Madrid's Mbappé apologise over Mao remark – but many people don't know exactly what he said

Real Madrid forward Kylian Mbappé, along with his club and La Liga, issued apologies after a backlash in China over his comments about a meme resembling Mao Zedong. The forward referred to an image where his face was superimposed on a "Chinese dictator" as a meme that made him laugh the most. The remarks triggered commercial boycotts and caused China Media Group to suspend La Liga broadcasts.

Despite widespread outrage on heavily moderated Chinese social media platforms, many Chinese citizens remain unaware of Mbappé's exact words due to state internet censorship. While the Chinese government stated it took the apology seriously, state broadcasters have yet to confirm if La Liga television broadcasts will resume.