Kylian Mbappé lost three sponsors in a single day — and the trigger was a meme. On October 27, Chinese beverage company Dongpeng and dairy giant Mengniu announced they were ending their partnerships with the Real Madrid and France forward with immediate effect. Chinese cheese producer Milkground followed, issuing its own statement the same day. Three brands, three termination notices, one viral video.
The controversy began with a video in which Mbappé was reportedly asked about his favorite memes featuring himself. While discussing one of the images, he appeared to say, "Some guy, I think he's a Chinese dictator." The meme showed his face edited onto the body of Mao Zedong, the leader who founded the People's Republic of China in 1949. Although Mbappé did not explicitly name Mao, the image shown in the circulating clip appeared to depict the former Chinese leader. The video soon sparked backlash across Chinese social media, with some users condemning the apparent remark and calling on Dongpeng to remove Mbappé's image from its energy drink bottles.
The corporate responses were swift and absolute. Dongpeng said, "Our company firmly opposes and has a zero-tolerance policy towards any behaviour that offends national sentiments." Mengniu confirmed, "With immediate effect our company is terminating all cooperation with Kylian Mbappe." Milkground echoed the same line: "Effective immediately, our company is terminating all cooperation with Kylian Mbappé. We resolutely oppose and have zero tolerance for any words or actions that hurt the feelings of the Chinese people."
The deals were not small. Mengniu partnered with Mbappé ahead of the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, and Dongpeng announced its partnership in April 2026. The financial terms have not been publicly disclosed. The fallout is spreading beyond the three brands: RedNote, the Chinese social media platform also known as Xiaohongshu, clarified that its content partnership with Mbappé had already ended on December 31, 2024, but said it was reviewing and removing promotional materials featuring him. And according to Spanish news agency EFE, citing Chinese outlet The Paper, state broadcaster CCTV began suspending broadcasts involving La Liga and Mbappé on the night of October 26, removing advertisements and videos featuring the Real Madrid forward.
The DAOS take: this is the new math of fame — one clip, one careless line, and years of brand deals evaporate before breakfast. Mbappé is 27 years old, one of the most famous athletes on the planet, and a ten-second video just cost him three sponsors and a broadcast market. The lesson is not about the meme. It is about the moment: in the age of the clip, everything you say is a contract, and every contract has a cancellation clause. Champions guard their words the same way they guard their bodies — because both can end a career in a second.
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Sources: EssentiallySports
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