The Real Madrid striker was dropped by Chinese sponsors after laughing at an image of his face on the former Chinese leader’s body and referring to him as a “dictator,” in a video on social media.
Similar stories
3 outlets
See how this story developed, hour by hour
Kylian Mbappé had to apologise after Mao Zedong joke
france24.com
28.10.2026
Real Madrid striker Kylian Mbappe apologizes after Mao meme comments amid growing backlash in China
cbssports.com
27.10.2026
Memes, Mao and Mbappé: Chinese brands drop soccer star in fury over ‘dictator’ joke
nbcnews.com
27.10.2026
Related stories
Ukraine: Ceasefire holds for its first 30 hours in occupied Oleshky
US midterms: Slashing of food stamps in Arizona angers voters
Spain High-Speed Rail Crash Kills at Least 10
US midterms: Six days left – who leads in the polls as Trump, Obama rally
Norway and Finland hold rare phone call with Putin: What that means
Qatari mediators hand Iran new proposal to end the war