Real Madrid and La Liga Apologize to China Over Mbappé’s Comments

Real Madrid and La Liga apologized to Chinese fans after forward Kylian Mbappé referred to late Chinese leader Mao Zedong during an appearance on the digital show “The Bridge,” aljazeera.net reported. The remarks triggered immediate fallout, resulting in the cancellation of several commercial partnerships in China.

Commercial Fallout and Lost Sponsorships

The controversy centers on a video clip where Mbappé laughed while discussing a meme that superimposed his face onto a portrait of Mao Zedong. Following widespread online criticism on platforms such as Weibo, the player lost three major endorsement deals with Chinese brands, valued at approximately seven million euros annually, according to L’Equipe as cited by albayan.ae. Marketing analysts note that the player’s broader portfolio—including agreements with Nike successor On, Hublot, Dior, Oakley, and EA Sports—generates between 30 and 40 million euros yearly. There are very few athletes capable of generating this volume of sponsorship revenue in China, which is indeed striking, sports law attorney Arnaud Péricard noted, while brand expert Bruno Bianzina cautioned that Dior is linked to the LVMH group, which holds significant interests in China. Prior to the crisis, internet football fans humorously nicknamed Mbappé the dictator, with satirical memes depicting him as Mao Zedong or other authoritarian leaders spreading widely across the web. His commercial footprint in the country previously included campaigns for brands such as Dongpeng—where he spoke a slogan in Chinese—and Mengniu, where he appeared alongside Argentine football star Lionel Messi. The backlash on Weibo saw hashtags such as Dongpeng ends partnership with Mbappé and Several brands end partnerships with Mbappé top the trending topics list alongside calls to boycott the player.

Institutional Apologies and League Damage Control

In response to the backlash, Real Madrid issued a statement expressing deep regret for any offense caused and emphasized its respect for Chinese history and culture. Simultaneously, La Liga and league president Javier Tebas issued separate apologies, stressing that the player’s personal comments do not represent the competition as a whole. According to Kooora and CNN Arabic, Tebas stated that the league cannot allow an individual remark to jeopardize a long-standing relationship with more than 20 professional clubs, broadcast partners, and millions of supporters in the region.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakou addressed the incident by stating that remarks and actions hurting the feelings of the Chinese people will naturally face collective opposition across society, CNN Arabic reported. While legal and sports business experts suggest the financial impact remains a fraction of the forward’s total net worth estimated by Forbes, the incident highlights the fragile intersection of player social media engagement and global brand management. Throughout his career, Mbappé has built a multifaceted financial empire through his holding company across technology, luxury, and sports sectors, though analysts suggest his apologies alongside those from La Liga and Real Madrid may help calm the situation.

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