A number of Chinese brands have cut ties with French soccer captain Kylian Mbappe over comments he reportedly made referring to the late Chinese leader Mao Zedong, underscoring how swiftly international celebrities can come unstuck in a crucial market.

In a video that emerged online on Monday (October 26), Mbappe is heard saying that the funniest meme he had seen of himself was one where his face had been photoshopped on to that of "some guy — I think he’s a Chinese dictator."

Reuters has not been able to authenticate the video.

His comments were believed to be an apparent reference to a meme of Mbappe superimposed on an image of Mao, one of several using the soccer player’s face and other historical figures.

In China, satire or jokes about Mao, the country’s founding leader who died in 1976, are considered disrespectful and remain a social taboo.

"A remark about an internet meme has triggered a backlash among his Chinese fans, threatened his lucrative commercial relationships and offered a sharp reminder of the limits of celebrity influence," state media outlet China Daily said.

Many other Chinese media outlets on Tuesday (October 27) also condemned Mbappe's apparent remarks, but did not repeat them.

"What did he say? Many Chinese would rather not repeat it," the state-backed Global Times said.

"The message from Chinese consumers is clear: Respect is not optional; one doesn't get to profit from China while disrespecting it. Not a chance."

Brands including dairy companies Mengniu 2319.HK and Shanghai Milkground Food Tech 600882.SS as well as Eastroc Beverage 605499.SS said they were ceasing all cooperation with Mbappe, who plays his club soccer for Real Madrid, effective immediately.

The companies said they "firmly oppose and have zero tolerance for any words or actions that hurt the feelings of the Chinese people."

China's state television has halted broadcasts of all matches and events involving LaLiga and Mbappe, and all advertisements involving Mbappe have been removed, state-backed media outlet the Paper reported on Tuesday.

Mbappe's representatives, LaLiga and Real Madrid did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

As of 0700 GMT, four topics related to Mbappe were still among the top 10 trending searches on China's social media platform Weibo. Some netizens called for China to "blacklist" Mbappe and reduce his commercial value to zero. These comments received hundreds of likes.

Fans have been creating memes superimposing Mbappe's face on images of military and political leaders to suggest that he has the power to call the shots at the teams he plays for.

In an interview with L'Equipe last month, Mbappe said that while some aspects of the meme trend were harmless fun, the viral ones depicting him as a dictator showed "a lack of political and human awareness."

When asked about the incident, a spokesperson for China's Foreign Ministry said that words and actions that hurt the feelings of the Chinese people "will naturally be met with joint opposition from all sectors of Chinese society."

DESCRIPCIÓN DE IMÁGENES

Chinese brands show Mbappe red card over alleged Mao meme comments, star apologises

VIDEO SHOWS: ARCHIVE SHOTS OF KYLIAN MBAPPE AND COMMUNIST PARTY CHAIRMAN, LATE MAO ZEDONG / BEIJING CITY SHOTS

SHOWS: INTERNET (OCTOBER 27, 2026) (SOCIAL MEDIA WEBSITE - Access all)

1. SCREENGRAB OF KYLIAN MBAPPE'S APOLOGY IN FRENCH, ENGLISH AND MANDARIN ON X

2. SCREENGRAB OF APOLOGY IN ENGLISH SAYING:

"During a recent interview, I reacted to an image of myself. My comment was ill-judged and I now understand that it hurt many people in China and in Chinese communities around the world. 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 am sincerely sorry."

MADRID, SPAIN (SEPTEMBER 16, 2026) (REUTERS - Access all)

3. VARIOUS OF MBAPPE TRAINING WITH REAL MADRID

WALTHAM, MASSACHUSETTS, UNITED STATES (ARCHIVE - JUNE 20, 2026) (REUTERS - Access all)

4. FRANCE CAPTAIN KYLIAN MBAPPE JOGGING DURING TRAINING

5. MBAPPE WITH BALL AT HIS FEET

6. VARIOUS OF MBAPPE SPEAKING WITH FORWARD, MARCUS THURAM

WALTHAM, MASSACHUSETTS, UNITED STATES (ARCHIVE - JUNE 14, 2026) (STATS PERFORM - Access all)

7. MBAPPE WARMING UP

8. MBAPPE SPEAKING WITH THEN-FRANCE NATIONAL SOCCER TEAM COACH DIDIER DESCHAMPS

WALTHAM, MASSACHUSETTS, UNITED STATES (ARCHIVE - JULY 6, 2026) (STATS PERFORM - Access all)

9. MBAPPE WALKING OUT FOR FRANCE TRAINING

MUNICH, GERMANY (ARCHIVE - MARCH 7, 2023) (REUTERS - Access all)

10. VARIOUS OF MBAPPE DURING TRAINING

PARIS, FRANCE (ARCHIVE - MAY 24, 2023) (REUTERS – Access all)

11. MBAPPE WAVING

12. MBAPPE DURING TRAINING

13. MBAPPE AFTER TRAINING

YAN'AN, SHAANXI PROVINCE, CHINA (ARCHIVE - 1930s) (ORIGINALLY 4:3) (CCTV - No use China)

14. COMMUNIST PARTY CHAIRMAN, MAO ZEDONG LOOKING ON

BEIJING, CHINA (ARCHIVE - OCTOBER 1, 1949) (ORIGINALLY 4:3) (CCTV - No use China)

15. MAO PROCLAIMING THE FOUNDING OF PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF CHINA AND WAVING

BEIJING, CHINA (ARCHIVE - 1966) (ORIGINALLY 4:3) (CCTV - No use China)

16. MAO SALUTING CROWDS FROM GATE OF HEAVENLY PEACE DURING CULTURAL REVOLUTION

BEIJING, CHINA (ARCHIVE – OCTOBER 1, 1964) (REUTERS – Access all)

17. MAO ARRIVES AT CELEBRATION OF 15TH ANNIVERSARY OF FOUNDING OF PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF CHINA

18. MAO WAVING

BEIJING, CHINA (ARCHIVE - NOVEMBER 20, 2025) (REUTERS - Access all)

19. PEOPLE ON TIAN'ANMEN SQUARE

20. PORTRAIT OF CHAIRMAN MAO

21. VARIOUS OF PEOPLE IN FRONT OF ROSTRUM OF TIAN'ANMEN

22. CHILD HOLDING CHINESE NATIONAL FLAG IN FRONT OF PORTRAIT OF CHAIRMAN MAO

BEIJING, CHINA (ARCHIVE - APRIL 21, 2026) (REUTERS - Access all)

23. SKYSCRAPERS

24. VARIOUS OF TRAFFIC ON ROAD

25. PEOPLE WALKING AMONG CBD SKYSCRAPERS

26. SKYSCRAPERS

27. TRAFFIC ON ROAD

28. SKYSCRAPERS

29. TRAFFIC ON ROAD UNDER CHINA'S CENTRAL TELEVISION TOWER

30. TRAFFIC ON ROAD / SKYSCRAPERS