Real Madrid Apologise to Chinese People Over Mbappe's Remark About Mao

Real Madrid have apologised to the Chinese people after their French forward Kylian Mbappe set off a strong backlash in China with remarks that described former Chinese leader Mao Zedong as a "dictator". The club issued its statement on Wednesday, 2026-10-28.

"Real Madrid CF wishes to express its apologies to the Chinese people for any discomfort caused by the recent words of our player Kylian Mbappe," the club said. It added that it maintains a deep respect for China, its history, its culture and its citizens, as well as for the millions of Chinese fans who feel affection and admiration for the team.

The statement came after earlier apologies from Mbappe and from La Liga had failed to calm the negative reaction in China. La Liga President Javier Tebas then set up a crisis unit and met with Chinese ambassador Yao Jing.

The episode shows the risks that athletes and brands face in the lucrative Chinese market. Mao, the founding leader of modern China who ruled from 1949 until his death in 1976, remains a subject on which satire is still a social taboo.

The commercial fallout has already begun. China's state-owned broadcasting platform Migu will not show Real Madrid's La Liga match against Racing Santander on Sunday. Migu is set to carry nine of the league's 10 games this weekend, and the Real Madrid fixture is the only one left out. Migu did not immediately respond to a request for comment from the Reuters news agency. Chinese brands including dairy companies Mengniu and Shanghai Milkground Food Tech, as well as Eastroc Beverage, have ended all cooperation with Mbappe.

La Liga's quick response to the crisis and its outreach to Real Madrid were notable, given years of strained relations between Tebas and the club amid a power struggle within Spanish football. Real Madrid had recently called for Tebas to resign. Both sides set aside their differences, recognising the possible immediate and long-term financial consequences of the comments.

After Real's statement, sources at La Liga said Tebas was considering a trip to China to head off the threat of a major financial loss for Spanish football. The league will also consider deepening its institutional engagement with Beijing, amid serious concern about a sharp fall in revenue, while Chinese state television awaits further gestures of reconciliation.

The remarks came in a video on a French podcast, which has since been taken down. In it, Mbappe discussed a humorous meme in which his face had been photoshopped onto an image he described as "some guy, I think he's a Chinese dictator". Fans have made memes placing Mbappe's face on images of military and political leaders to suggest he can sway decisions at the teams he plays for, and the European press has nicknamed him "the dictator".

Asked on Wednesday what China made of Mbappe's apology, foreign ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said: "We take seriously the apology that the person has made."