Real Madrid has apologised to China after its French superstar Kylian Mbappé triggered a backlash over a remark about Mao Zedong — a controversy that has already cost him sponsors and taken Spanish football off Chinese television.
“Real Madrid CF wishes to express its apologies to the Chinese people for any discomfort caused by the recent words of our player Kylian Mbappé,” the club said in a statement on October 28. “Our club maintains a deep respect for China, its history, its culture and its citizens, as well as for the millions of Chinese fans who feel affection and admiration for Real Madrid.”
The row began with a video on a French podcast, since taken down, in which Mbappé discussed an internet meme that had photoshopped his face onto an image he described as “some guy — I think he’s a Chinese dictator” — an apparent reference to Mao, modern China’s founding leader, who ruled from 1949 until his death in 1976. Mocking Mao remains a taboo in China.
Mbappé apologised first, on October 27, in French, Chinese and English. “My comment was ill-judged and I now understand that it hurt many people in China and in Chinese communities around the world,” he wrote. “I have deep respect for the Chinese people and their history, and I am sincerely sorry.”
It was not enough, at least not immediately. China’s state-owned China Media Group suspended broadcasts of La Liga on October 27, and the state broadcasting platform Migu did not show Real Madrid’s game against Racing Santander. Chinese brands including dairy companies Mengniu and Shanghai Milkground Food Tech and beverage maker Eastroc ended their cooperation with Mbappé, each saying they opposed words or actions that hurt national sentiment.
La Liga president Javier Tebas set up a crisis unit and met China’s ambassador to Spain, Yao Jing, and the league said it deeply regretted the offence caused. On October 28, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said Beijing took the player’s apology seriously — the closest thing to a closing line the episode has had so far.
Why this matters
China is one of the most lucrative markets in world football, and this is a reminder of the price of entry: a joke that would barely register in a Madrid dressing room can erase a broadcast deal and three sponsorships in a week. Clubs and players now operate in two audiences at once — the one in the stadium and the one on a phone in Beijing — and the second one, as Real Madrid has just learned again, does not forgive on a player’s timetable.
