Kylian Mbappé loses three Chinese sponsors after remarks about Mao Zedong

Three Chinese companies—Dongpeng, Mengniu and Milkground—have ended their partnerships with Kylian Mbappé after a video circulated in which he reportedly called Mao Zedong a “Chinese dictator.” The clip, which shows Mbappé referring to a meme depicting his face on Mao’s body, prompted calls for a boycott on Chinese social media; AFP had not independently verified the video’s authenticity. The Real Madrid forward and France captain apologized to the Chinese public, acknowledging that his comment was ill-advised and may have caused offense.