Kylian Mbappé has built a global reputation through his performances for Real Madrid and the French national team, while his popularity has also made him a sought-after name for commercial brands. The 27-year-old forward has also become a familiar face in Chinese advertising, promoting products ranging from energy drinks to dairy goods. However, a controversy involving a meme depicting former Chinese leader Mao Zedong has now put his commercial relationships in China under pressure, with several companies cutting ties following the backlash.
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On October 27, 2026, Chinese beverage company Dongpeng and dairy giant Mengniu announced that they were ending their partnerships with Mbappé with immediate effect. Both companies issued statements distancing themselves from the footballer following the controversy.
Dongpeng said, “Our company firmly opposes and has a zero-tolerance policy towards any behaviour that offends national sentiments.” It added, “With immediate effect we are terminating all cooperation with Kylian Mbappe.”
Mengniu also confirmed its decision, stating, “With immediate effect our company is terminating all cooperation with Kylian Mbappe.” The company added, “Mengniu firmly opposes and has a zero-tolerance policy towards any words or actions that hurt the feelings of the Chinese people.”
The decisions affect commercial relationships established at different points in Mbappé’s career. Mengniu partnered with the French forward ahead of the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, while Dongpeng announced its partnership with him in April 2026. The financial terms of the agreements have not been publicly disclosed.
Chinese cheese producer Milkground has also joined the list of companies ending their commercial relationship with Mbappé. In a statement issued on October 27, the company said, “Effective immediately, our company is terminating all cooperation with Kylian Mbappé. We resolutely oppose and have zero tolerance for any words or actions that hurt the feelings of the Chinese people.” With three companies now having announced that they are ending their partnerships with Mbappé, attention has turned to the incident that triggered the backlash.
The controversy began with a video in which Mbappé was reportedly asked about his favorite memes featuring himself. While discussing one of the images, he appeared to say, “Some guy, I think he’s a Chinese dictator.” The meme showed his face edited onto the body of Mao Zedong, the leader who founded the People’s Republic of China in 1949. Although Mbappé did not explicitly name Mao, the image shown in the circulating clip appeared to depict the former Chinese leader.
The video soon sparked backlash across Chinese social media, with some users condemning the apparent remark. One Weibo user described the comments as “extremely serious wrong remarks” that had “crossed the red line.” Others called on Dongpeng to remove Mbappé’s image from its energy drink bottles, as criticism of the footballer began to extend beyond social media.
Spokesperson Guo Jiakun was asked about the controversy and said, “Words and actions that hurt the feelings of the Chinese people will naturally be met with joint opposition from all sectors of Chinese society.” The growing backlash has also raised questions about the future of Mbappé’s other commercial relationships in China.
RedNote takes action as Mbappé faces more fallout in China
RedNote, a Chinese social media platform also known as Xiaohongshu, has also responded to the controversy surrounding Kylian Mbappé. The platform clarified that its content partnership with the French footballer had already ended on December 31, 2024. However, amid the recent backlash, RedNote said it was reviewing and removing promotional materials featuring him.
The company also stated that it “Firmly opposes any behavior that harms national sentiments.” Interestingly, the controversy has also reportedly affected La Liga’s television coverage in China. According to Spanish news agency EFE, citing Chinese outlet The Paper, state broadcaster CCTV began suspending broadcasts involving La Liga and Kylian Mbappé on the night of October 26.
The reported move also included removing advertisements and videos featuring the Real Madrid forward. The development came as Chinese companies Dongpeng, Mengniu and Milkground announced the end of their commercial partnerships with him.