Mao Zedong controversy: After boycotts, Mbappé is literally erased in China

On November 1, 2026, Chinese sports site Dongqiudi replaced Kylian Mbappé’s name with a phrase meaning “this person does not exist” in Real Madrid’s lineup against Racing Santander. The controversy began after Mbappé joked about a meme placing his face over a portrait of Mao Zedong, prompting CCTV to suspend its La Liga broadcasts, advertisers to remove appearances of the player, and Dongpeng, Mengniu and Milkground to end commercial deals. Dongqiudi had previously omitted Mbappé from its Ballon d’Or ranking, where he finished second behind Harry Kane, and published a black-and-white photo of him. Mbappé and Real Madrid apologized, but CCTV and Migu have not broadcast the match, and no restart date has been announced.