Soccer star Kylian Mbappé apologizes for remark about ‘Chinese dictator’

Mateo Villalba Sanchez/Getty Images

Soccer star Kylian Mbappé apologized for comments in which he apparently referred to Mao Zedong, the founding leader of Communist China, as a dictator, after facing backlash and losing brand deals with three different Chinese companies.

“My comment was ill-judged, and I now understand that it hurt many people in China and in Chinese communities around the world,” he said in a statement Tuesday . “I apologize to everyone my words have upset. This was absolutely not my intention. I have deep respect for the Chinese people and their history, and I am sincerely sorry.”

Mbappé’s face appears in ads across China, from subway stations to inside elevators.

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Beverage maker Dongpeng, dairy giant Mengniu and cheese maker Milkground announced Tuesday in similarly worded statements that they were ending agreements with the soccer star, each saying they oppose “any words and actions that hurt national sentiment.”

The companies did not specify what prompted their decisions, but they released their statements after a clip that appeared to show Mbappé being interviewed ahead of going on the French online talk show “The Bridge” circulated on X.

In the video, Mbappé is asked about his favorite meme of himself, and the soccer star replies that it was “a video someone made of a guy … I think he was a Chinese dictator” before the video shows an altered image depicting Mbappé’s face on the blue-suited body of Mao Zedong.

Soccer fans online jokingly call the star – who’s said to overshadow many of his teammates and even the teams he plays on – a dictator, and memes showing him as Mao or other autocratic leaders are widely circulated.

China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Guo Jiakun said in response to a question about the controversy that “words and actions that hurt the feelings of the Chinese people will naturally be met with joint opposition from all sectors of Chinese society.”

Social media platform RedNote joined the criticism, saying in a separate statement that the company had a content partnership with Mbappé that ended on December 31, 2024, and that it would “remove related promotional materials.” It likewise expressed opposition to “any conduct that hurts national sentiment.”

Mbappé’s account on RedNote was banned from accepting new followers Tuesday.

Mbappé has featured in advertising campaigns in China for products from electrolyte drinks to milk and cheese. In one commercial for Dongpeng, Mbappé delivers a slogan in Chinese; in an ad for Mengniu, he appears alongside Argentine soccer star Lionel Messi.

On Chinese social media, there were comments criticizing the soccer star.

The hashtags “Dongpeng ends partnership with Mbappé” and “Several brands end partnerships with Mbappé” topped Weibo’s trending list. “Football fans boycott Mbappé” was also trending, with some users expressing anger at his remarks or telling him not to come to China.

马特奥·比利亚尔巴·桑切斯/盖蒂图片社

足球明星基利安·姆巴佩就其将中国共产党开国领导人毛泽东称为独裁者的言论道歉，此前他因此遭到强烈反对，并失去了与三家中国公司的品牌合作。

“我的言论欠妥，我现在明白它伤害了中国以及世界各地华人社区的许多人，”他在周二的一份声明中说。“我向所有被我的言论冒犯的人道歉。这绝非我的本意。我深深尊重中国人民及其历史，我真诚地感到抱歉。”

姆巴佩的脸出现在中国各地的广告中，从地铁站到电梯里都能看到。

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饮料制造商东鹏、乳业巨头蒙牛和奶酪制造商奶场周二发表措辞相似的声明，宣布终止与这位足球明星的合作协议，并表示反对“任何伤害民族情感的言论和行为”。

这些公司没有具体说明是什么促使他们做出这些决定，但在一段似乎显示姆巴佩在参加法国在线脱口秀节目“The Bridge”之前接受采访的视频在 X 上流传之后，他们发表了声明。

视频中，姆巴佩被问及他最喜欢的关于自己的表情包是什么，这位足球明星回答说：“那是有人制作的一个视频，视频里的人……我想他是一位中国独裁者”，随后视频显示了一张经过修改的图像，将姆巴佩的脸放在了身穿蓝色西装的毛泽东的身体上。

网上的足球迷们开玩笑地称这位球星为独裁者——据说他的光芒盖过了许多队友，甚至盖过了他所在的球队——把他描绘成毛泽东或其他独裁领导人的表情包也广为流传。

中国外交部发言人郭家坤在回答有关争议的问题时表示，“伤害中国人民感情的言行，自然会遭到中国社会各界的共同反对。”

社交媒体平台RedNote也加入了批评行列，在另一份声明中表示，该公司与姆巴佩的内容合作关系将于2024年12月31日结束，并将“删除相关宣传材料”。该公司还表示反对“任何伤害民族情感的行为”。

周二，姆巴佩在RedNote上的账号被禁止接受新的关注者。

姆巴佩曾多次在中国参与广告宣传活动，代言产品涵盖电解质饮料、牛奶和奶酪等。在东鹏的一则广告中，姆巴佩用中文念出了广告语；在蒙牛的一则广告中，他与阿根廷足球明星梅西共同出镜。

在中国社交媒体上，出现了一些批评这位足球明星的评论。

“东鹏终止与姆巴佩的合作”和“多家品牌终止与姆巴佩的合作”等话题标签一度登上微博热搜榜首。“球迷抵制姆巴佩”也成为热门话题，一些用户对他的言论表示愤怒，甚至劝他不要来中国。