During a recent interview on The Bridge, a French talk show hosted by Mbappe's Real Madrid teammate Aurelien Tchouameni, the 27-year-old star reportedly said the meme "that makes me laugh the most, it's the one where there's a video of a guy, I think it's a Chinese dictator, they put my [face over it]." Mbappe smiled as the show cut to a meme of his face imposed on an image resembling Mao.One of Mbappe's most popular nicknames is "The Dictator," given his prowess on the field and overall influence on the sport globally.Mao ruled China as a communist dictator from 1949 to 1976, with his regime resulting in tens of millions of deaths.ADIDAS APOLOGIZES AFTER AD FEATURING FORMER ISRAELI SOLDIER WHO LOST LEG DRAWS BOYCOTT CALLSThe resident walks past a giant a giant advertisement of Kylian Mbappé French football star of advertising endorsement for energy drink on July 7th, 2026 in Wuhan, China.
(Photo by Wang HE/Getty Images) (Wang HE/Getty Images)Eastroc Beverage Group Co.and China Mengniu Dairy Co., two Chinese consumer brands that hired Mbappe, have both announced that they are cutting ties with Mbappe after their stocks took a hit, according to Bloomberg.
Dongpeng, a drink company, stated it was cutting all ties with Mbappe as well.Mbappe's official social media accounts on the Weibo and Xiaohongshu platforms have reportedly been frozen and marked with notices about violating regulations.State-run CCTV not only reportedly stopped airing Real Madrid matches in China, but also all La Liga matches, the top-flight league in Spain that features a total of 20 clubs.Lin Jian, a spokesperson for China's foreign ministry, even weighed in with a stark statement about Mbappe's joke about a meme.
"We have noted the relevant reports.Words and deeds that hurt the feelings of the Chinese people will naturally be met with opposition from all sectors of Chinese society," Jian stated, per The Financial Times.Bottles of Dongpeng Beverage Group's "Bushuila" electrolyte drink featur...