Real Madrid striker Kylian Mbappe apologizes after Mao meme comments amid growing backlash in China

The French striker was widely criticised in China after his comments on a meme involving him and Mao Zedong Real Madrid striker Kylian Mbappe issued an apology Tuesday after comments he made about former Chinese leader Mao Zedong led several sponsors to drop him and drew a backlash from Chinese state television. The day after the 2026 Ballon d'Or ceremony, which saw Mbappe leave the London Palladium empty-handed, began with an international drama involving China, Mbappe and LaLiga. It all started when Mbappe told French talk show "The Bridge" that the meme "that makes me laugh the most, it's the one where there's a video of a guy, I think it's a Chinese dictator…" The clip also showed Mbappe's face on an image resembling Mao.

To put that into context, a recurring joke, repeated in multiple memes, associates Mbappe with the word "dictator" for his influence in the sport and for how he interacts with teammates and players. During the 2026 World Cup, 2025 Ballon d'Or winner Ousmane Dembele called him "Mbappe Mobut," referring to Mobutu, the dictator who ran the Democratic Republic of Congo for more than 30 years. In September, Mbappe addressed the memes in an interview with France Football, saying that while he understood the jokes, they "sometimes reveal a lack of political and human awareness among