Three Chinese companies announce end of Mbappé deals amid Mao meme row

Drink maker Dongpeng, dairy group Mengniu and cheese maker Milkground announced on 27 October that they were ending all cooperation with Kylian Mbappé immediately. The three Chinese companies’ decisions bring the Real Madrid forward’s endorsement deals into a social-media row over a video associated with a Mao Zedong meme.

Each company condemned words or actions that hurt Chinese national feelings. None identified the video as the reason for its decision or disclosed the value of its agreement with Mbappé.

The BBC says clips circulating online appear to show Mbappé discussing a favourite meme involving a “Chinese dictator”, followed by an altered image placing his face on Mao’s body. It says the clips have not been verified and that Mbappé does not name Mao. AP reported that hashtags about the companies’ announcements and a boycott of Mbappé trended on Weibo.

Xiaohongshu, also known as RedNote, criticised conduct that hurts national feelings but said its content partnership with Mbappé had expired on 31 December 2024. It said it was checking and removing related promotional material, rather than ending a current deal.