Three Mbappe brand deals with Chinese companies ended on October 27, 2026, after remarks in which soccer star Kylian Mbappe appeared to refer to Mao Zedong as a dictator drew backlash. Mbappe apologized, saying his comment was ill-judged.

Key Takeaways

  • Dongpeng, Mengniu and Milkground announced that they were ending their agreements with Mbappe.
  • The companies did not specify what prompted their decisions.
  • RedNote said an earlier content partnership had already ended in December 2024.

Mbappe brand deals ended by three companies

Beverage maker Dongpeng, dairy company Mengniu and cheese maker Milkground announced their decisions in similarly worded statements on October 27. Each said it opposed words and actions that hurt national sentiment.

The announcements followed the circulation on X of a clip that appeared to show Mbappe discussing a meme ahead of an appearance on the French online talk show The Bridge. In the clip, he described a figure in the meme as a Chinese dictator before an altered image appeared showing his face on Mao’s body.

Apology and RedNote response

In a statement on October 27, Mbappe said he understood that his comment had hurt people in China and Chinese communities around the world. He apologized and said he had deep respect for the Chinese people and their history.

Social media platform RedNote also criticized the remarks and said it would remove promotional materials from a content partnership with Mbappe that ended on December 31, 2024. His RedNote account was banned from accepting new followers on October 27.

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