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When Mbappe was interviewed, he said that his favorite meme was to look like Mao Zedong, which caused a strong reaction in Chinese public opinion. Many cooperative brands immediately ended their advertising and removed relevant content from their shelves.
French star Kylian Mbappe missed the Ballon d’Or, and even his Chinese advertising contract was terminated.
The reason for this was that in a recent interview, Mbappé was asked about his “favorite meme”. He revealed the name of the person whose face had been photoshopped to look like Mao Zedong. He also said, “Memes make me laugh constantly. I often use them with my friends.” This angered Chinese netizens.
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Many fans expressed disappointment and began a boycott. Some Chinese domestic cooperative brands have removed Mbappé-related materials and are suspected of plagiarizing him.
China’s “Dongpeng Beverage Group” issued a statement on the cooperation with Mbappé on the 27th: “We firmly oppose and have zero tolerance for behavior that hurts national sentiments. All cooperation with Mbappé will be terminated with immediate effect.” The cooperation between the two parties started on April 20, 2026 and it has been only six months.
On October 27, several brands, including “Hydrating”, released statements: “Our company firmly opposes and has zero tolerance for behaviors that offend national sentiments. All cooperation with Mbappé will be terminated with immediate effect.” “Milkground” has also removed Mbappé-related content.
Mengniu Dairy Group also released a statement that with immediate effect, Mengniu would end all cooperation with Maccabi. Mengniu firmly opposes and has zero tolerance for any words or actions that hurt the feelings of the Chinese people.
Mbappe, currently playing for Real Madrid, is the first man to win the title twiceworld cup Golden Boot player.
Coincidentally, Argentina star Messi has faced a “soft ban” in China. His performance in the 2026 World Cup has attracted global attention. However, Chinese netizens found that state media CCTV’s social media first praised “Messi as God” and then allegedly deleted reports related to Messi. Almost all advertisements about Messi’s appearance on CCTV channels disappeared, causing heated discussion. Many comments believe that CCTV’s move is suspected to be related to Messi’s strike in Hong Kong in 2024, meaning that “CCTV has not forgotten.”
Summary FAQ
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When he was asked about his favorite meme, he told the name of the meme whose face was photoshopped to look like Mao Zedong. He also said that he often watched it with his friends, which sparked discontent among Chinese netizens because it involved sensitive celebrities.
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Many cooperative brands immediately removed their respective materials and announced the end of cooperation in statements, including Dongpeng Beverage, Hydration, etc. Some brands also removed endorsement materials from their shelves.
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Nevin pointed out that Mbappé currently plays for Real Madrid and is the first player to win the World Cup Golden Boot twice; This controversy has affected their Chinese support cooperation.
