Chinese Sponsors Drop Mbappe as CCTV Pulls LaLiga Streams

Chinese commercial partners moved against Kylian Mbappe on Tuesday, two days after the Real Madrid forward finished the Ballon d'Or ceremony in London without the award. The French international's remarks about a meme depicting him alongside Mao Zedong drew formal statements from sponsors and a response from the Chinese Foreign Ministry, and his apology issued Tuesday did not immediately reverse the broadcast decision.

Mbappe told the French talk show "The Bridge" that the meme making him laugh most features "a guy, I think it's a Chinese dictator.." The broadcast also displayed Mbappe's face over an image resembling Mao, who founded the People's Republic of China in 1949 and led the Communist Party until his death in 1976. Mengniu, China's largest dairy producer, said it "firmly opposes and has a zero-tolerance policy towards any words or actions that hurt the feelings of the Chinese people." Drinks company Dongpeng followed with a statement of its own: "Our company firmly opposes and has a zero-tolerance policy towards any behaviour that offends national sentiments." The state-owned Global Times reported that CCTV's apps will not carry news about the player and that the broadcaster will stop streaming LaLiga matches.

Mbappe's statement Tuesday addressed the reaction directly: "I now realise that it hurt the feelings of many people in China and in Chinese communities around the world. I apologise to everyone whom my words upset, as that was never my intention at all." Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said, "We have noted the relevant reports. Words and deeds that hurt the feelings of the Chinese people will naturally be met with opposition from all sectors of Chinese society."

LaLiga said the comments "were made in a personal capacity and do not represent LALIGA" and announced an awareness and communication protocol with clubs and players. League president Javier Tebas wrote on X that he "cannot allow the actions of an individual to tarnish this relationship or harm the more than 20 clubs competing in our professional leagues and the millions of Chinese fans." Real Madrid issued its own apology, stating the club "wishes to express its apologies to the Chinese people for any discomfort that may have been caused."

Meme comparisons linking Mbappe to authoritarian figures predate the interview. During the 2026 World Cup, 2025 Ballon d'Or winner Ousmane Dembele called him "Mbappe Mobutu," a reference to Mobutu, who led the Democratic Republic of Congo for more than 30 years. Mbappe addressed that pattern in a September interview with France Football, saying that jokes comparing him to figures who "have made millions upon millions of people miserable" were "a bit less funny." The CCTV broadcast restriction and sponsor statements were in place as of Tuesday, and no timeline for their reversal has been announced.