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When Kylian Mbappé arrived at the London Palladium for Monday's Ballon d'Or ceremony, he could hardly have anticipated that his first public statement following the event would be a humble apology to "the Chinese people and their history."
Just hours after Harry Kane was named the world's best men's soccer player, Mbappé found himself compelled to respond to a surge of controversy carrying significant reputational and financial consequences for himself, Real Madrid, and La Liga as a whole.
Back in April, during an appearance on The Bridge, a program hosted by his fellow countryman Aurélien Tchouaméni, Mbappé was asked about his favorite internet meme featuring himself. "The one that made me laugh the most was when they put up a video of some guy," the French forward said with a smile. "I think it was a Chinese dictator."
No name was specified, but the edited clip produced an image of Mbappé depicted as Mao Zedong, a founding member of the Chinese Communist Party who established the People's Republic of China in 1949 and led the country until his death in 1976.
姆巴佩称毛泽东为"中国独裁者"
原视频+中英翻译 pic.twitter.com/A99iyoue0D
Criticizing such a prominent, if divisive, figure as Mao was poorly received in China after the clip—originally published in April—began recirculating in recent days. Amid intense backlash on social media, the foreign ministry issued a firm statement: "Words and actions that hurt the feelings of the Chinese people will naturally be met with collective opposition from all sectors of Chinese society."
Mbappé turned to social media to express his remorse. "During a recent interview, I reacted to an image of myself," he wrote in a statement published in French, Chinese, and English.
"My comment was poorly considered, and I now recognize that it caused pain to many people in China and in Chinese communities across the world. I apologize to all those my words have offended. This was absolutely not my intention. I have profound respect for the Chinese people and their history, and I am genuinely sorry."
The Repercussions of Mbappe's Comments
The reaction to Mbappé's remarks was immediate and potentially very damaging, as a string of Chinese sponsors lined up to cut ties with the French star.
Both Mengniu and beverage giant Dongpeng declared "zero tolerance" for Mbappé's statements. The prominent dairy brand condemned "any words or actions that offend the feelings of the Chinese people," while Dongpeng accused the striker of "offending national sentiments."
Cheese brand Milkground quickly followed their lead. Social platform RedNote felt the need to clarify that its partnership with the record World Cup scorer had ended over 18 months prior and proceeded to remove all related content from their platform.
Dior, Hublot and, most notably, On, have also scrubbed any Mbappé-related content from the Chinese social media platform Weibo, per the Global Times. The Real Madrid superstar had only recently made the surprising announcement of parting ways with Nike after a 20-year relationship in favor of a lucrative new deal with On.
Mbappé is estimated to earn $30 million annually from various sponsorship agreements, per Forbes. The same publication describes China as a "major market" for On, which could now be off-limits for Mbappé.
How Real Madrid, La Liga Have Been Dragged Into Controversy
The Chinese Football Association called on Real Madrid to issue an apology, adding: "Internationally recognized athletes, in particular, should strictly uphold ethical standards, speak thoughtfully, and value their public influence."
Chinese state broadcaster China Central Television (CCTV) swiftly suspended "broadcasts of matches involving La Liga and Mbappé," as reported by local outlet The Paper. While the CCTV agreement was a short-term arrangement covering only 2024 to 2026, La Liga had committed to a four-year exclusive deal with Migu, another state-owned broadcaster.
The full extent of La Liga's potential financial losses remains unclear, but the heartfelt apology issued by the league and its president Javier Tebas underscores the significance of the arrangement.
"La Liga deeply regrets the dissatisfaction and offense caused in China by the remarks made by Kylian Mbappé," Tebas wrote on social media. "We understand the harm these remarks have caused. On behalf of La Liga, I offer our sincere apologies to the Chinese people.
"Over the years, we have cultivated a relationship of mutual respect, trust, and cooperation with China and its government departments, sports organizations, audiovisual media institutions, and millions of fans who love Spanish soccer.
"We cannot allow individual actions to undermine this relationship, nor can we permit more than 20 clubs in our professional competitions and millions of Chinese fans to be negatively impacted as a result."