Kylian Mbappé loses Dongpeng and Mengniu deals over Mao video

Kylian MbappéKylian MbappéReal Madrid · France · Forward has lost two commercial agreements in China after a video circulated online that appears to show the France captain joking about Mao Zedong. Dongpeng Beverage and Mengniu ended their deals with the forward on Tuesday. Both acted after the clip spread, and neither company has given a detailed public explanation of its decision.

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What the video appears to show

The footage appears to show Mbappé referring to Mao as a dictator while making a joke. It has not been established when the clip was recorded, where it originated, or how it reached Chinese social media. Mbappé has neither confirmed nor denied that the video is genuine, and no public statement from him on the clip has been reported.

Why the subject is sensitive in China

Bryan Berlin · CC BY-SA 4.0

Mao, the country's founding leader, died in 1976. Jokes about him are considered disrespectful and remain a social taboo in China. The reaction to the clip turns on the subject rather than the tone: a remark framed as humour does not soften it, which is what makes an old piece of footage commercially live years after it was recorded.

That is the context in which two companies moved. Footballers are valuable to sponsors precisely because they are recognised well beyond the pitch, and the same reach means an offhand line can travel to audiences the player never addressed. In analysis, the exposure sits with the brand as much as with the individual.

The two companies and what they gave up

Bryan Berlin · CC BY-SA 4.0

Both Dongpeng Beverage and Mengniu are major brands in China, and both had agreements with Mbappé that they ended on Tuesday. The value and length of those agreements have not been disclosed. Walking away from a global footballer is an expensive decision for any company; that two did so on the same day indicates how quickly reputational risk is weighed against the cost of a contract, though neither company has said that is what happened.

What is not yet known

• Whether the video is authentic, and when and where it was recorded.
• Whether Mbappé or his representatives will dispute the clip's accuracy.
• Whether Dongpeng Beverage or Mengniu will say more about why the deals ended.
• Whether other partners will follow; no further brand has been reported to have ended an agreement.

Mbappé's commercial standing rests on visibility across several markets, and China is among the largest. The next signal will come from whether other partners hold their positions or move, and from anything the player says himself. For now, the two ended agreements are the only publicly confirmed consequence of the clip.