Soccer star Mbappe's remarks kick up a huge row across China

French soccer star Kylian Mbappe has come under fire in China over offensive remarks about the country, prompting several Chinese sponsors to terminate their partnerships with the Real Madrid forward and major media platforms to remove content featuring him.

The controversy erupted after Mbappe reacted to a meme that superimposed his face onto another person's body, describing the image in derogatory terms. The meme was seen by many Chinese internet users as mocking a revered historical figure, triggering widespread criticism on Chinese social media.

Following his appearance at the high-profile 2026 Ballon d'Or ceremony, Mbappe faced mounting backlash on Tuesday, as Chinese companies and media organizations announced measures in response to his remarks.

By Tuesday afternoon, Chinese energy drink maker Eastroc Beverage, also known as Dongpeng, had become the first of at least three Chinese companies to announce an end to its commercial partnership with the player.

"We firmly oppose and have zero tolerance for any behaviors that hurt the feelings of the Chinese nation, and have ended all cooperation with Kylian Mbappe immediately effective," the company said in a statement.

China's dairy giant Mengniu Group and cheese manufacturer Milkground subsequently announced that they were cutting ties with Mbappe and withdrawing promotional materials featuring him from their platforms.

The backlash also spread across social media, with the hashtags "Several brands end partnerships with Mbappe" and "Fans boycott Mbappe" ranking among the top 10 trending topics on Weibo on Tuesday.

"Perhaps, it's no big deal from his perspective, but I do believe most of the Chinese people would be feeling offended and angry once they watched how he said it during the interview," said Hu Linxiang, a Beijing-based sales manager and a longtime fan of Real Madrid and the French national team, which Mbappe captains.

"For a public figure as famous as he is, he should've been more careful and better educated with whatever he said in public, taking responsibility for the potential harm that his words and acts might cause," Hu said.

Major Chinese media organizations, including China Media Group, streaming platform Migu, which is affiliated with China Mobile, and online soccer community Dongqiudi, have also removed match footage, highlights, commercials and news reports featuring Mbappe from their platforms.

China Central Television, which is part of China Media Group, has decided to suspend broadcasts of La Liga matches involving Mbappe and Real Madrid, a source told Shanghai-based news outlet ThePaper.cn.

Mbappe issued an apology on X on Tuesday, acknowledging that his comments had hurt people in China and Chinese communities around the world.

"My comment was ill-judged, and I now understand that it hurt many people in China and in Chinese communities around the world.

"I apologise to everyone my words have upset. This was absolutely not my intention. I have deep respect for the Chinese people and their history, and I am sincerely sorry," he wrote.

La Liga president Javier Tebas also apologized to the Chinese people on X over Mbappe's remarks, saying they had caused discomfort and offense in China.

Xiaohongshu, one of China's most popular social media platforms, also known as RedNote, has restricted users from following Mbappe's account or accessing new posts from him. The player had amassed more than 1 million followers on the platform since opening an official account in April 2024.