China: Despite His Apology, Mbappé Faces Further Fallout from Mao Zedong Controversy

Kylian Mbappé apologized on October 27, 2026, after discussing a meme linking him to Mao Zedong on the podcast The Bridge. In China, his original comments were deleted or not published on social media, and state media described them as “inappropriate remarks concerning China.” Users can no longer follow his Weibo and Xiaohongshu accounts, while Dior and Hublot removed content featuring him from Weibo. Media reports said the main Adidas store in Beijing had Real Madrid shirts but none bearing Mbappé’s name, although unofficial merchandise featuring him remains available on Taobao.