Real Madrid star Kylian Mbappe loses three chinese sponsorship deals after Mao Zedong remark controversy
by Vaishnavi Verma · KalingaTVAdvertisement
New Delhi: Real Madrid star Kylian Mbappe received a major blow to his commercial prospects after three Chinese firms announced they were severing their deals with him
New Delhi: Real Madrid star Kylian Mbappe received a major blow to his commercial prospects after three Chinese firms announced they were severing their deals with the Real Madrid footballer following a viral clip. The row has sparked some backlash on Chinese social media.
On Tuesday, beverage maker Dongpeng, dairy group Mengniu and cheese producer Milkground said they were terminating their associations due to the protests over comments they considered damaging to national sentiments.
The issue was sparked after a clip emerged online of Mbappe talking about Internet memes in which he was photoshopped onto historical images.
In response to the question of his most-loved meme, the 27-year-old said there was a certain one with his face on the body of “some guy – I think he was a Chinese dictator”.
The statement seems to be directed at Mao, who led China for decades and passed away in 1976. It was not possible to verify the video independently, said AFP Fact Check.
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Chinese internet users were outraged by the video, and many called for brands to erase the footballer from their products.
Dongpeng also disclosed the termination of its cooperation with immediate effect. Meanwhile, Mengniu and Milkground have also made a similar decision.
Meanwhile, social media platform Red Note stated that it would delete associated promotional content of the video, noting that its collaboration with Mbappe had already been concluded in December 2024.
The sponsorship fall-out comes just days after Mbappe was runner up behind England captain Harry Kane in the 2026 Ballon d’Or race.
This new dispute underscores the business risk involved in your public comments that may be damaging to the pride of a culture or nation in which you do business.
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