Kylian Mbappé and Real Madrid's apology has not been enough to calm the diplomatic crisis that erupted with China after the footballer's joke about a meme related to him, where his face is superimposed on an image of Mao Zedong, whom he described as "a Chinese dictator." The joke has cost the Frenchman two important sponsorship contracts, while censorship has also extended to all of Spanish football, whose matches will no longer be broadcast on television.
While a solution is being sought to avoid losing millions of euros in television revenue, fans have reacted strongly, taking a stand against the footballer and burning his shirts. As of this week, Mbappé is no longer welcome by a section of Chinese fans.
Chinese fans against Mbappé
The two companies that had chosen the Frenchman as their advertising image for months were the first to react, canceling sponsorship contracts. Later, state television CCTV also announced that the broadcast of Spanish football matches and those of Real Madrid would be suspended by government decision. This is a financial damage of millions of euros for Los Blancos, who had turned China into one of their strategic markets, but also for La Liga itself, which was the first to distance itself from Mbappé. The club and the striker have officially apologized, but this has not been enough to close the case.
VIDEO | Vídeos en redes show Chinese aficionados burning Mbappé's shirts and breaking posters with his face after the player's declarations about a 'meme' in which he appears on his face above the body of Mao Zedong, which he alludes to as "a Chinese dictator". https://t.co/rdflEoTMHg
— EFE Noticias (@EFEnoticias) October 28, 2026
The Spanish news agency EFE has published footage of fans burning France and Real Madrid shirts with Mbappé's name on them. They set themselves on fire mercilessly, angered by the fact that their favorite footballer had made that inappropriate statement on the podcast The Bridge: "What made me laugh the most was the photo where they used my face as the face of a Chinese dictator. I use it a lot with my friends." Some fans go even further, trampling on advertising posters with his image and decapitating the cardboard figure. "What Mbappé said about China angers me. He decides to completely boycott it and I will never forgive him," declared one fan.
The controversy between Mbappé and China is expanding ever wider, causing financial damages of millions of euros for the footballer and for Real Madrid, who until that moment had built important commercial relations with this country.
