​Kylian Mbappe dropped by Chinese brands: Real Madrid star, La Liga chief apologize after ‘offensive’ comments originally appeared on The Sporting News.
Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.As one of the world’s foremost football stars, Kylian Mbappe has significant global appeal across the world.After finishing second at the 2026 Ballon d’Or award ceremony, only narrowly missing out to winner Harry Kane in London on Monday night, the 27-year-old’s stardom was continuing to rise, especially after he became the all-time leading goal scorer at the FIFA World Cup earlier this summer.However, his popularity off the field has faced roadblocks over the last few years as memes poke fun at the France star and criticism of what has been perceived as an individualistic style of play gets louder.His public perception took a further hit in recent days after comments on a French show shortly before the Ballon d’Or ceremony faced significant backlash for being offensive to the Chinese community.MORE:A look at the 2026 Ballon d’Or final standings, with Harry Kane beating out Kylian MbappeWhat did Kylian Mbappe say about China?While speaking to a French talk show known as The Bridge earlier this week, Mbappe was asked about his increasingly viral dictator meme, attempting to joke about it hoping to lessen the sting of the popular online dig which the internet has used to attack the France star.When asked which doctored image depicting him as a dictator one was his favorite, he pointed to one where his face has been pasted onto the head and body of Mao Zedong, the former Chinese leader.”When they did a video of a guy — I believe it was a Chinese dictator — and they put my…” at this point, Mbappe trails off, not mentioning Zedong by name, but then picks it up shortly after. “That really makes me laugh, I use it with my friends all the time.”After the Ballon d’Or ceremony, which was broadcast globally, opposition to his remarks was swift. The Chinese Football Association put out a statement condemning the comments and saying they were “immediately engaged in stern diplomatic demarches with Real Madrid,” requesting an apology from the club as well.Additionally, Mbappe was dropped by two Chinese brands with whom he previously had sponsorship deals with, including dairy manufacturer Mengniu and drinks company Dongpeng.”Our company firmly opposes and has a zero-tolerance policy toward any actions that offend national sentiments,” said Dongpeng in a statement, as reported by The Athletic, while Mengniu said, “Mengniu firmly opposes and has zero tolerance for any words or actions that offend the feelings of the Chinese people.”The video with Mbappe’s comments no longer appear on the YouTube channel for the show.Kylian Mbappe apologizes for joking about Chinese dictator memeAfter the backlash from his comments grew significant, Mbappe apologized.”During a recent interview, I reacted to an image of myself,” Mbappe posted on soci