Two of the largest consumer brands in China severed their endorsement deals with Mbappe within hours of each other, both citing zero tolerance for behaviour that offends national sentiment. Dongpeng and Mengniu scrubbed their official Weibo accounts of all content featuring the French captain the same day.
Dongpeng, which markets Eastroc Beverage’s Electrolyte sports drink, announced it was “terminating all cooperation with Kylian Mbappe” with immediate effect, saying the company “firmly opposes and has a zero-tolerance policy towards any behaviour that offends national sentiments”.
Mengniu, the biggest dairy producer in China, followed with almost identical wording.
“Mengniu firmly opposes and has a zero-tolerance policy towards any words or actions that hurt the feelings of the Chinese people,” the company said, confirming the partnership was over.
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Weibo tops as AFP flags authenticity
The trigger was a clip spreading on Chinese social media. In it, Mbappe is seen discussing internet memes that photoshop his face onto historical figures and describes the funniest one he had seen as “some guy … I think he’s a Chinese dictator”, an apparent reference to Mao Zedong. AFP Fact Check said it could not immediately verify the video’s authenticity.
That caveat did not slow the response. “Dongpeng Beverage ends cooperation with Mbappe” became the top-trending topic on Weibo. One user called the remarks “extremely serious wrong remarks” that had “crossed the red line” and were “completely unacceptable”.
Dongqiudi, one of the largest online football outlets in China, said the comments were “offensive to China and the Chinese people” and had “hurt the feelings of Chinese football fans and the Chinese people”. Jokes about Mao, who founded the People’s Republic and died in 1976, remain taboo in China.
Dongpeng deal was six months old
Mbappe’s agreement with Dongpeng was only signed in April, with its first advertisements rolling out in May. The campaign has been live for less than six months. The brand’s Electrolyte business generated 1.67 billion yuan in revenue in the first half of 2026, though its growth had already slowed sharply before the Mbappe deal unravelled.
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Mengniu did not disclose the length of its own partnership. Neither company engaged with the authenticity question AFP had raised.
Mbappe himself has not spoken publicly about the video. In a September interview with L’Equipe, he addressed a separate meme that had put his face on a military dictator.
“Being compared to individuals who murder others… well, I don’t think I’ve ever done anything like that in my life,” he told the French paper.
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