Soccer superstar Kylian Mbappe loses 3 Chinese sponsors over 'dictator' joke about Mao

The controversy has drawn apologies from Mbappe, Real Madrid and La Liga, along with a response from China's Foreign Ministry.

Oct 30, 2026

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French soccer star Kylian Mbappe has lost three Chinese sponsorship deals over a joke about Mao Zedong, the founder of communist China.

The 27-year-old Real Madrid forward faced backlash after an old podcast clip resurfaced in which he appeared to describe Mao as a Chinese dictator. Chinese broadcasters have since restricte…

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