Mbappé China Controversy: Real Madrid Apologise as La Liga Blackout Continues

The Mbappé China controversy has become the biggest off-pitch story in world football. In less than a week, a viral clip has cost Kylian Mbappé three sponsors, his Chinese social media accounts and an entire league's television presence in China. Now Real Madrid have apologised too — and still, the blackout continues.

How the Mbappé China controversy started

It began with a clip filmed in March, backstage at the French talk show The Bridge. Mbappé, joking around while having his makeup done, was asked about the funniest meme he had ever seen of himself. He answered that it was the one where his face had been morphed onto a Chinese dictator.

For years, fans have superimposed Mbappé's face onto military and political leaders, joking that he holds so much power at his clubs that he runs them like a dictator. The figure in the meme was Mao Zedong, the founder of modern China, who is idolised by millions as the nation's saviour. Jokes about him are taboo in China, not edgy — taboo.

One important note: Reuters and AFP have both said they could not authenticate the clip. Everything that followed happened over a video that is viral, but not verified.

The timing made it worse

The clip resurfaced on Monday, 26 October — the very day of the Ballon d'Or ceremony in London, where Mbappé finished second behind Harry Kane. A Chinese football outlet, Dongqiudi, spotted the clip and refused even to translate his words, writing that they were likely to hurt China and its people. You can read about Kane's Ballon d'Or win in our Ballon d'Or 2026 coverage.

Three sponsors walk away in a single day

The backlash was immediate. Overnight, Mbappé's Xiaohongshu account, with 1.1 million followers, turned from admiration to abuse. By Tuesday, the sponsors moved:

• Dongpeng: the drinks giant behind the Bushuila sports drink, which had carried Mbappé's face and voice since April, ended all cooperation with immediate effect, citing behaviour that hurts national sentiment.
• Mengniu: China's largest dairy producer cut ties with the French star.
• Milkground: the dairy firm also ended its partnership the same day.

Three sponsors gone in a day, over one sentence.

Three apologies — and the blackout stays

On Tuesday, Mbappé apologised on X in French, Mandarin and English, calling his comment ill-judged and saying he understood it had hurt many people in China and in Chinese communities around the world. La Liga apologised too, with president Javier Tebas writing personally and promising concrete measures to prevent a repeat.

But it was not enough. China's state broadcaster CCTV had already suspended La Liga broadcasts and stripped out every programme and advert featuring Mbappé. It rejected Real Madrid's first explanation as inadequate and demanded an apology from the club itself. So on Wednesday, Real Madrid apologised officially on its website, saying sorry to the Chinese people for any discomfort caused.

Here is the twist: the apologies did not end it. China's Foreign Ministry said on Wednesday that it took Mbappé's apology seriously — and the suspension stayed in place anyway. La Liga remains off the air in China.

The erasure continues

Mbappé's accounts on Weibo and Xiaohongshu have been frozen, with Weibo's notice saying the user was banned for violating laws and community rules. Dongqiudi went further, replacing Mbappé's name in its Ballon d'Or ranking with a phrase meaning "this person does not exist." In Beijing's flagship Adidas store, Real Madrid shirts are still on sale — just none with Mbappé's name on the back. Media reports say even Dior and Hublot quietly pulled his content from Weibo.

What happens next for Mbappé and La Liga

The stakes are enormous. La Liga signed a new four-year media deal with China Mobile's Migu platform just this August, and China is a strategic market for Spanish football. Now its biggest star is the reason the league is off the air there.

China has done this before. In 2019, after a Houston Rockets executive tweeted support for Hong Kong protesters, the state broadcaster pulled NBA games for a year and sponsors walked away. The playbook is the same: punish fast, punish visibly, and make the next person think twice.

For Mbappé, the question is no longer whether the joke was funny. It is whether three apologies, three lost sponsors and a league-wide blackout will be the end of it — or just the start. The next move belongs to Beijing, not Madrid.

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