Chinese Beverage, Dairy and Cheese Brands Cut Mbappé Ties
Three companies ended deals with the French captain after a video circulated showing him describing a meme figure as a Chinese dictator.
By Marco Graham ·
Beijing: Dongpeng, Mengniu and Milkground, companies that advertise electrolyte drinks, milk and cheese, said on Tuesday they would stop working with French national team captain Kylian Mbappé. Each issued a statement saying they oppose any words and actions that hurt national sentiment. The announcements came after a video surfaced on X showing Mbappé discussing a favorite meme of himself.
In the clip, which appeared to be from a pre-interview for the French online talk show The Bridge, Mbappé was asked about his favorite meme. He answered: "a video someone made of a guy .. I think he was a Chinese dictator." The video then displays an altered image of Mbappé's face on the blue-suited body of Mao Zedong, the founding leader of Communist China. Soccer fans online joke that Mbappé overshadows teammates and the teams he plays on, and memes casting him as Mao or other autocratic leaders have circulated widely.
Mbappé's face has appeared in advertising campaigns across China, from subway stations to elevators, in products ranging from electrolyte drinks to milk and cheese. In one Dongpeng commercial he delivers a slogan in Chinese. In a Mengniu advertisement he appears alongside Argentine soccer star Lionel Messi.
Chinese social media platform RedNote said in a separate statement that its content partnership with Mbappé ended on Dec. 31, 2024, and that it would remove related promotional materials. The company also expressed opposition to any conduct that hurts national sentiment. His RedNote account was not accepting new followers on Tuesday. The Associated Press was unable to reach Mbappé's representatives for comment.
Guo Jiakun, a spokesperson for China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, responded to a question about the controversy by saying 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." On Weibo, hashtags reading "Dongpeng ends partnership with Mbappé" and "Several brands end partnerships with Mbappé" topped the trending list, alongside "Football fans boycott Mbappé," with some users telling him not to come to China.
