Kylian Mbappé Loses Sponsorship Deals Over Mao Zedong Remark

Source reports published 27 Oct 2026, 10:00 am – 1:54 pm AEST

Kylian Mbappé lost two major sponsorship deals with Chinese brands, Dongpeng and Mengniu, following a video in which he made a joke referencing former Chinese leader Mao Zedong. The companies stated their opposition to any behavior that offends national sentiments.

What happened

• Kylian Mbappé was terminated from sponsorship agreements with Dongpeng, a drinks giant, and Mengniu, China’s largest dairy producer, after a video circulated online.
• The video depicted Mbappé making a reference to a meme featuring his face superimposed on an image of Mao Zedong, a former leader of China.
• Both companies issued statements asserting a ‘zero-tolerance policy’ towards any behavior that offends national sentiments.
• Dongpeng stated, "Our company firmly opposes and has a zero-tolerance policy towards any behaviour that offends national sentiments," while Mengniu declared, "Mengniu firmly opposes and has a zero-tolerance policy towards any words or actions that hurt the feelings of the Chinese people."
• The incident occurred after Mbappé had previously addressed a meme depicting him as a military dictator.
• The remarks generated significant reaction on Chinese social media, with users expressing disapproval and urging Dongpeng to remove Mbappé’s image from their energy drink bottles.
• Weibo reported the top-trending topic as "Dongpeng Beverage ends cooperation with Mbappe".

Original reporting

• Guardian: Kylian Mbappé dropped by Chinese brands for ‘offending national sentiments’
  2026-10-27T00:00:00+00:00
• France 24 English: Kylian Mbappe loses two major China sponsorship deals over Mao Zedong joke
  2026-10-27T03:54:02+00:00