Chinese brands drop Mbappé after video in which he appears to joke about Mao meme

As of 8:40 a.m. ET, Tuesday, Oct. 27, 2026

Kylian Mbappé was dropped on Tuesday by at least two major brands in China after a video circulated online in which the French soccer star apparently joked about a meme putting his face on an image of former leader Mao Zedong, AFP reported.

"Our company firmly opposes and has a zero-tolerance policy towards any behaviour that offends national sentiments," drinks maker Dongpeng said in a statement quoted by AFP, adding that "with immediate effect we are terminating all cooperation with Kylian Mbappe."

Mengniu, China's largest dairy producer, also cut ties with the Real Madrid forward. "With immediate effect our company is terminating all cooperation with Kylian Mbappe," Mengniu said, according to AFP. "Mengniu firmly opposes and has a zero-tolerance policy towards any words or actions that hurt the feelings of the Chinese people."

The Associated Press reported that a third company, cheese maker Milkground, announced the same day that it was also ending its agreement with Mbappé, in a similarly worded statement. The Beijing Daily news site also carried Milkground's statement.

The video

In the clip, Mbappé says the internet meme that made him laugh the most showed his face photoshopped onto "some guy -- I think he's a Chinese dictator," according to AFP. The BBC and Australia's ABC reported that the clip appears to come from a backstage interview with the French-language talk show "The Bridge," and the BBC said the original video is no longer on the show's YouTube channel. Mbappé does not name Mao in the clip, the BBC reported.

AFP Fact Check said it could not immediately verify the video's authenticity. The BBC and ABC also said they had not verified it.

In China, jokes about Mao, the country's founding leader who died in 1976, are considered disrespectful, AFP reported. "Dongpeng Beverage ends cooperation with Mbappe" was the top-trending topic on the Chinese social media site Weibo, according to AFP. Dongqiudi, one of China's biggest online football outlets, said in a statement on Monday evening that the remarks were "offensive to China and the Chinese people," AFP reported.

A Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson also commented, saying words and deeds that hurt the feelings of the Chinese people would naturally be met with rejection, according to the BBC and ABC.

Dongpeng had run ads during this year's World Cup showing AI-generated images of the 27-year-old France captain drinking one of its sports drinks, AFP reported. The controversy came a day after Mbappé finished second to England's Harry Kane in the Ballon d'Or voting in London.

In September, Mbappé told the French sports newspaper L'Equipe that a separate meme depicting him as a military dictator was partly funny but "a bit less funny because of the damage such people have caused throughout history," AFP reported.

What is not known

The authenticity, date and full context of the video have not been verified. GROKsiNEWS.com did not read the brands' own posts; their wording here is as quoted by AFP and AP. It is not known whether any other sponsors will follow. Mbappé and Real Madrid had not publicly responded as of publication, according to ABC.