China has a history of ending agreements over comments, but Mbappé and La Liga may have done enough to control the damage.
Kylian Mbappé and La Liga have apologised after calling Mao Zedong a “Chinese dictator” in reaction to an online meme.
Mbappé attended the Ballon d’Or in London last night (26 October), where he placed second behind Harry Kane. While he patiently waited for the drawn-out ceremony to finish, a storm brewed on Chinese social media.
He may have looked so calm because the issue stemmed from an interview he gave to The Bridge, a French show, in April 2026. During the interview, he was asked about a meme that superimposed his face onto Mao Zedong’s face, the former Chairman of the Chinese Communist Party.
When discussing the image, he used the word “dictator”, referencing the Mbappe dictator meme that jokes that he controls his team and teammates.
Six months later, the clip has surfaced on Chinese social media. In reaction to the clip, three Chinese companies dropped the athlete from commercial agreements and CCTV suspended broadcasts of La Liga matches in China.
La Liga apologised, stating that it regrets the offence that the footballer made and that they don’t represent the league.
Among the three reported companies to have ripped up commercial agreements with Mbappé are dairy producer Mengniu and drink company Dongpeng.
The latter provided a statement about its decision, saying: “Our company firmly opposes and has a zero-tolerance policy towards any behaviour that offends national sentiments.”
Mbappe has also apologised to China and its citizens.
“During a recent interview, I reacted to an image of myself. My comment was ill-judged, and I now understand that it hurt a lot of people in China and in Chinese communities around the world,” Mbappe said.
“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’m sincerely sorry.”
Flashbacks to the NBA
History shows China won’t pull any punches over throwaway comments about its country or people.
In 2016, former Houston Rockets General Manager Daryl Morey expressed support for Hong Kong’s anti-government protests on social media.
In reaction, Chinese broadcasters CCTV and Tencent stopped showing NBA games on their platforms. It also ended sponsorship agreements and the NBA China Games, a series that began in 2004, in which teams played matches in the country.
Although the dispute was resolved in 2022, the NBA China Games only resumed in 2025. It was seen as a major loss, with 2019 reports suggesting China accounted for at least 10% of NBA revenue and could reach 20% by 2030.
The correct response from Mbappé and La Liga?
Mbappé and La Liga’s response appears to align with the advice of crisis experts who spoke to Insider Sport earlier this year.
In September, Good Good Golf sparked a media storm with its response to a controversial advert that showed Good Good Co-founder Garrett Clark pushing colleague Alexis Miestowski to the ground to stop her from touching a Callaway driver.
The video, which was intended as a reference to the horror film Obsession, was removed following criticism that it made light of violence against women.
The company then dropped out of sponsoring a major golf event and sacked CEO Matt Kendrick, President Joe Flannery and VP of Brand and Marketing Jeffrey Lefkovits.
Sam Kane, Founder and CEO of SKX Communications, told Insider Sport that each new development added fuel to the fire, stating that “It just spiralled when it really didn’t have to.”
The short, blunt apologies from La Liga and Mbappé seem to do the opposite, ending the outcry and chaos quickly.
Speaking to Insider Sport, Fredrik Jonsson, SVP of Reputation at The PHA Group, said: “This is actually a point around timing and sequencing rather than scale. Good Good’s mistake was not to take decisive action from the very outset.
“Instead, the saga has turned into a series of interventions in an effort to tackle each previous criticism. Leading to an attritional outcome.”
