Real Madrid and France captain, Kylian Mbappe has apologised after his comment about a meme depicting him as former Chinese leader Mao Zedong triggered backlash in China and cost him major sponsorship deals.

In a statement released on Tuesday October 27 2026 in Paris and published on his X account in French Mandarin and English Mbappe said his comment was ill judged and hurt many people in China and Chinese communities around the world.

During a recent interview I reacted to an image of myself. My comment was ill judged and I now understand that it hurt many people in China and in Chinese communities around the world, Mbappe wrote. I apologise 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.

The controversy started after a video clip from April circulated on Monday showing Mbappe ahead of his appearance on French online talk show The Bridge. When asked about his favourite meme of himself he said it was a video where his face was photoshopped onto a man he described as a Chinese dictator. The edited image showed his face on the body of Mao Zedong.

The clip went viral on social media and triggered anger among Chinese fans where jokes about Mao are considered taboo and disrespectful.

Following the backlash beverage maker Dongpeng dairy giant Mengniu and cheese maker Milkground announced on Tuesday that they were ending their agreements with the football star saying they oppose any words and actions that hurt national sentiment.

La Liga also issued a statement distancing itself from the comments and apologising on behalf of the league and all its clubs. La Liga said the comments were made in a personal capacity and do not represent the league.

China Media Group also announced suspension of La Liga broadcasts involving Mbappe and removal of adverts featuring him.