“I’m sorry to everyone who upset my words”: Kylian Mbappé reacts to the “Chinese dictator” controversy

Kylian Mbappe (Photo AFP) Kylian Mbappé has apologized after comments about a meme featuring Chinese revolutionary leader Mao Zedong sparked anger in China. The controversy also cost the French soccer star his partnership with three Chinese companies, while criticism of his remarks spread across Chinese social media.“My comment was ill-judged and I now understand that it hurt many people in China and Chinese communities around the world,” Mbappé said in a statement on Tuesday.“I apologize to anyone who was upset by my words,” he said. “This was absolutely not my intention. I deeply respect the Chinese people and their history, and I am truly sorry.”

Brands end partnership with Mbappé

Chinese beverage company Dongpeng, dairy producer Mengniu and cheese maker Milkground announced on Tuesday that they were ending their contracts with the footballer. All three companies issued similar statements against “any words and actions that hurt national sentiment”.The decisions followed the circulation of a video on X that appeared to show Mbappé discussing his favorite internet meme during an interview ahead of his appearance on French online talk show The Bridge.When asked about the meme, Mbappé described it as “a video someone made about a guy… I think it was a Chinese dictator”.The clip then showed an edited image of him placing his face on Mao Zedong’s body.Football fans often humorously portray Mbappé as a dictator in online memes due to his larger-than-life presence in the sport. However, Mao remains a sensitive historical figure in China.He led the Communist Party to victory in the Chinese Civil War and founded the People’s Republic of China in 1949. Although he is still revered by many, his reign also included disastrous policies, including the Great Leap Forward, which contributed to a famine that killed an estimated 30 million people.

Social media backlash is growing

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun also commented on the controversy, saying that “words and actions that hurt the feelings of the Chinese people will naturally be met with common opposition from all sectors of Chinese society.”Social media platform RedNote stated that its content partnership with Mbappé ended on 31 December 2024 and announced that it would “remove related promotional materials”. His account was also blocked from gaining new followers.Meanwhile, hashtags calling for a boycott and announcing the brands’ decision dominated Weibo’s trending charts, with some users criticizing Mbappé and urging him not to visit China.