French soccer captain and Real Madrid forward Kylian Mbappé has apologized to China for calling Mao Zedong a “dictator,” a comment that prompted fierce criticism and institutional reprisals.
asserted
that → apologize → criticism
“My comment was ill-judged,” Mbappé said in a statement in three languages.
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Mbappé → judge → languages
“I apologize to everyone my words have upset.”
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words → apologize → everyone
In a video clip from the French talk show “The Bridge” posted on Monday, Mbappé had referred to Mao as “some guy—I think he’s a Chinese dictator” as he described a meme in which his face was photoshopped onto a picture of the late founder and chairman of the Chinese Communist Party.
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face → post → Party
The clip was behind-the-scenes footage from a podcast filmed in March, the podcast said.
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podcast → film → March
It has since been removed from the show’s social media accounts.
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It → remove → accounts
“The Bridge” also apologized to Chinese fans, as well as to Mbappé.
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Bridge → apologize → Mbappé
The meme is part of an internet trend where soccer fans have superimposed Mbappé’s face onto pictures of military and political leaders as a play on Mbappé’s nickname “the dictator,” referring to the Real Madrid player’s perceived authority and influence over football clubs and the media.
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fans → superimpose → clubs
Even Mbappé’s French teammate Ousmane Dembélé made a joke about the moniker during the 2026 World Cup, referring to Mbappé as Mobut after Mobutu Sese Seko, the dictator who ruled the Democratic Republic of Congo for three decades.
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who → make → decades
Mbappé told French magazine L’Equipe last month that he found some of the memes funny, but that others demonstrated “a lack of political and human awareness.”
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others → tell → awareness
“To be compared to people who murder others, or who have made millions and millions of people miserable … I don’t think I’ve ever done anything like that in my life,” he said.
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he → compare → life
In the clip shared by The Bridge, Mbappé was asked which meme he finds funniest, and he pointed to the one featuring Mao.
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he → share → Mao
Mbappé’s “dictator” label, however, triggered sharp rebuke in China.
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label → trigger → China
Several Chinese broadcasters suspended coverage related to Mbappé and Spanish soccer league LaLiga, while some brands pulled ads that featured the sports star.
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that → suspend → star
A spokesperson for China’s Foreign Ministry said on Tuesday, before Mbappé’s apology, that “words and deeds that hurt the feelings of the Chinese people will naturally be met with opposition from all sectors of Chinese society.”
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that → say → society
Parody of Chinese leaders is politically sensitive in China, not least mockery of Mao, who founded the People’s Republic of China in 1949 and ruled the country till his death in 1976.
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who → found → 1976
Many international scholars have described Mao as an authoritarian leader, pointing to his centralized rule, political purges, and aggressive state campaigns, including the Great Leap Forward and the Cultural Revolution.
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scholars → describe → Forward
Historians estimate that tens of millions of people died during Mao’s rule as a result of famine and violence.
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millions → estimate → famine
But within China, many view him as a revolutionary figure who unified the country and transformed a largely agrarian society into an independent nation.
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who → view → nation
While official accounts have condemned the Cultural Revolution as a “grave blunder,” those same accounts argue that Mao’s lifetime contributions to the Chinese revolution outweighed his mistakes.
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contributions → condemn → mistakes
The Chinese Constitution describes the state as the “people’s democratic dictatorship,” defined as a proletarian dictatorship.
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Constitution → describe → dictatorship
“During a recent interview, I reacted to an image of myself,” Mbappé said in his apology.
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Mbappé → react → apology
“I now understand that it hurt many people in China and in Chinese communities around the world.
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it → understand → world
I have deep respect for the Chinese people and their history, and I am sincerely sorry.”
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I → have → people
Parodies of political figures have incurred anger and sanctions before.
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Parodies → incur → anger
In April 2015, CCTV suspended TV presenter Bi Fujian after a private dinner video that showed him mocking Mao while singing a revolutionary opera was leaked online.
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him → suspend → opera
In July 2017, Chinese social media platforms also restricted references to Winnie-the-Pooh after internet users compared the character to Chinese President Xi Jinping.
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users → restrict → Jinping
In August, artist Gao Zhen was sentenced to three years in prison for “infringing upon the reputation of heroes” because he had made satirical sculptures of Mao, including a 2009 statue called Mao’s Guilt that depicts the late leader kneeling in repentance.
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leader → sentence → repentance
Gao, who was based in the U.S., was arrested in August 2024 while visiting family in China.
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who → base → China
International sports brands and associations have also come under fire in China over remarks deemed politically offensive.
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brands → come → remarks
In October 2019, China paused sponsorship deals with the National Basketball Association after Houston Rockets executive Daryl Morey posted online in support of protests in Hong Kong, which Beijing characterizes as separatist and seditious.
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Beijing → pause → which
CCTV suspended broadcasts of NBA games for a year.
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CCTV → suspend → year
Mbappé’s comments may already have cost him.
uncertain
comments → cost → ?
China’s largest dairy producer, Mengniu, said it would cease its partnerships with Mbappé, as did cheesemaker Shanghai Milkground Food Tech and beverage giant Eastroc Beverage, also known as Dongpeng.
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Tech → say → Dongpeng
The companies said they had a “zero-tolerance policy” towards words or behavior that offend the feelings of the Chinese public.
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that → say → public
According to French newspaper Le Monde, Mbappé’s Dongpeng and Mengniu contracts were worth approximately 50 million yuan (€6.7 million) combined.
uncertain
contracts → accord → Monde
Dongpeng had run adverts featuring AI-generated images of Mbappé drinking its sports drink during the 2026 World Cup and sold bottles of its Bushuila electrolyte drink with Mbappé on its packaging.
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Mbappé → run → packaging
After Mbappé’s comments and prior to their statements, the two consumer brands saw their stock fall.
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stock → see → statements
Global brands including Dior, Rimowa, Nike, Hublot, and On Running also removed promotional content featuring Mbappé from their accounts on Chinese social media platform Weibo, Chinese media reported.
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media → include → platform
China’s state television CCTV suspended broadcasts of all matches and events involving Mbappé and LaLiga, and pulled advertisements featuring Mbappé, Chinese media reported on Tuesday.
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media → suspend → Tuesday
…and 21 more, not listed.
The Aporia
