Kylian Mbappe's China Fallout Grows As eFootball Removes Real Madrid Star From Game After Mao Zedong Remarks

Kylian Mbappe referred to late Chinese leader Mao Zedong as a "dictator".© AFP

France and Real Madrid star Kylian Mbappe has been removed from the Chinese version of the popular football game eFootball, developer Konami announced amid backlash over the 2018 World Cup winner's recent remarks. During a recent interview, Mbappe referred to late Chinese leader Mao Zedong as a "dictator" while responding to a question about his favourite meme. Mbappe, who is sometimes jokingly referred to as a "dictator" because of his alleged influence on and off the pitch for club and country, said his favourite meme was "a video someone made of a guy... I think he was a Chinese dictator", before the clip showed an altered image of the French forward's face superimposed on Mao's.

Mbappe issued an apology after several Chinese brands ended their partnerships with the star footballer amid the backlash. Chinese broadcasters also pulled coverage of Spanish league football following the controversy.

Now, Konami, the developer of the popular football game franchise eFootball (formerly Pro Evolution Soccer), has removed all content related to Mbappe from the Chinese version of the game.

"Recently, French footballer Kylian Mbappe made inappropriate remarks regarding China during a public interview, seriously hurting the feelings of the Chinese people. We immediately suspended all promotional content related to the player within our games. The Chinese versions of eFootball, eFootball Online, and eFootball: King of Collectibles have also stopped producing player items, character cards, and other content related to him," Konami said in a statement on Tuesday.

Officially Mbappe was completely removed from the Chinese version of eFootball #eFootball #eFootball2027 2027 https://t.co/wCSFcnpvU1

— OHIOLE (@OHIOLE34) October 27, 2026

The eFootball developers also hinted at further action in due course.

"Sports can transcend national borders, but respect should never be absent. We will announce further measures in due course. Thank you to all football fans for your continued attention and support," he added.

There has also been speculation that EA FC, eFootball's rival franchise, is considering removing all Mbappe-related content from its Chinese version.

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