Mbappé Boycott: Real Madrid’s Win over Racing Divides Weibo Users

Real Madrid announced its 3-0 win over Racing de Santander on Weibo, prompting sharply divided reactions from Chinese users, ranging from dismissal to newfound support for the club. Kylian Mbappé scored from the penalty spot in the 11th minute, while sports site Dongqiudi had removed him from its pre-match lineup with the comment, “This person does not exist.” Neither public broadcaster CCTV nor streaming platform Migu showed the match, and Migu also removed earlier Real Madrid highlights and replays from its catalogue. The dispute stems from Mbappé joking about a meme that called Mao Zedong a dictator, despite apologies from the player, Real Madrid and La Liga.