Dongpeng and Mengniu End Mbappe Deals
Two major Chinese corporations terminated their partnerships with the France forward after a viral video featured him joking about Mao Zedong.
By Ana Castro ·
Dongpeng Beverage and Mengniu Dairy have ended their commercial agreements with Kylian Mbappe. The two companies issued separate statements on Tuesday and Monday, respectively, confirming the immediate termination of all cooperation with the 27-year-old Real Madrid forward. The decisions followed the circulation of a video in which Mbappe referenced a popular internet meme involving the face of China's founding leader, Mao Zedong.
Dongpeng, a major sports drink manufacturer, stated that it maintains a zero-tolerance policy for behavior that offends national sentiments. The company noted that advertisements featuring AI-generated images of Mbappe drinking its product were displayed throughout China during this year's FIFA World Cup. Mengniu, the country's largest dairy producer, issued similar language in its statement, affirming that it firmly opposes words or actions that hurt the feelings of the Chinese people.
The controversy centers on a clip where Mbappe identified a specific meme as the funniest he had seen. He described the image as his face digitally altered onto that of a Chinese dictator. This comment alluded to a widely shared image that superimposed Mbappe's features onto a photo of Mao, who died in 1976. Jokes regarding Mao remain a social taboo in China, where the founding leader is a sensitive figure.
Mbappe had previously addressed a different meme depicting him as a military dictator in a September interview with L'Equipe. He acknowledged the humor in some comparisons but noted that the historical damage caused by such figures made the comparison less funny for others. He stated that he did not believe he had ever brought misery to millions of people in his life.
The fallout in China intensified after Mbappe lost the Ballon d'Or award to Harry Kane on Monday. On the social media platform Weibo, the topic of Dongpeng ending its cooperation with Mbappe became the top trending story. One user described the remarks as crossing a red line, while others called for the removal of the player's image from energy drink bottles.
Dongqiudi, a prominent Chinese football outlet, declared Mbappe's comments offensive to China and its people. The organization said the remarks hurt the feelings of Chinese football fans. Mbappe is normally well-liked in China, where he is nicknamed Guigui, or turtle, due to his resemblance to a character in the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. He has millions of followers on Chinese social media.
This incident follows a pattern of global sports stars facing backlash in China for discussing sensitive geopolitical topics. In 2023, former NBA player Dwight Howard referred to Taiwan as a country during a video appearance with local officials. In 2019, Houston Rockets general manager Daryl Morey supported Hong Kong protests, which led to a temporary suspension of NBA sponsorship deals in China.
