Football star Kylian Mbappe faces huge China backlash over ‘unacceptable’ remark

French football superstar Kylian Mbappe has been dropped by a string of major Chinese brands including the dairy giant Mengniu, amid intense backlash over an alleged offensive remark about China.

“Mengniu firmly opposes and has zero tolerance for any words or actions that hurt the feelings of the Chinese people,” Mengniu said in a statement on Tuesday, as the firm announced it was immediately terminating “all partnerships” with Mbappe.

On the same day, China’s energy-drinks giant Eastroc Beverage and Milkground, a cheese maker controlled by Mengniu, also announced that they were cutting ties with Mbappe with immediate effect.

The moves came after a video circulated widely online that appeared to show the France and Real Madrid striker making a controversial remark about former Chinese leader Mao Zedong, sparking backlash on Chinese social media.

When asked about Chinese companies’ decisions to end their endorsement deals with Mbappe on Tuesday, Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun said that remarks or actions that hurt the feelings of the Chinese people would “naturally face collective opposition from all sectors of Chinese society”.

Mbappe’s team did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Mengniu signed Mbappe as a brand ambassador in October 2021, ahead of the 2022 Fifa World Cup in Qatar, while Eastroc Beverage began its partnership with the player in April this year, according to media reports.

In a statement on Monday, Chinese sports platform Dongqiudi said it would not translate what it described as “inappropriate remarks about China” made by Mbappe in an interview.

“Regardless, his remarks have hurt the feelings of Chinese fans and the Chinese people, and are unacceptable to us,” the platform said.

It also urged fans to “refrain from crossing the line” in their comments on the platform, to help maintain a healthy community environment.

Chinese state broadcaster CCTV halted showing Spanish La Liga matches and removed all advertisements featuring Mbappe from Monday evening, citing the footballer’s “seriously negative behaviour concerning China”, according to Shanghai-based media outlet The Paper.

A search by the South China Morning Post found no reports about Mbappe on CCTV’s official website.

Also on Tuesday, Chinese social platform RedNote said in a statement that its content partnership with Mbappe, which began in 2024, had expired on December 31 that year.

“The platform is continuing to review and remove related materials,” the statement said. “RedNote firmly opposes any actions that hurt national sentiments.”

On Tuesday, Mbappe’s RedNote account no longer allowed users to follow it, while his account on Weibo displayed a message saying it was “currently muted for violating relevant laws and regulations”.

By Tuesday afternoon, a hashtag about the Mbappe controversy had topped Weibo’s list of trending topics, having received more than 300 million views and 50,000 related posts.

“Mbappe’s recent controversy is just baffling. A football star earning endorsement fees in China has made inappropriate remarks about the country in an interview,” one Weibo user wrote. “Respect is the best ‘endorsement’.”