China made Mbappé apologise – but many don't know exactly what he said

As Kylian Mbappé was attending the Ballon d'Or ceremony in London, he was additionally becoming the centre of a enormous controversy on Chinese social media, on Monday night.

Key points

• Mao, who led the Chinese Communist Party to victory in the civil war and founded the People's Republic of China, died in 1976.
• Neither the Chinese foreign ministry statement nor the apologies issued by Mbappé, Real Madrid and La Liga mentioned Mao directly.
• Despite the turmoil of his rule, including the Great Leap Forward and the Cultural Revolution.
• A portrait of Mao overlooks Beijing's Tiananmen Square, a symbol of how central he is in the modern Chinese imagination.
• He is the spiritual pillar of the Chinese individuals, read one Weibo comment liked by more than 700 users.

Football fans had stumbled upon a clip of him joking regarding the meme that makes him "laugh the most" – where his face is superimposed on a "Chinese dictator" resembling Mao Zedong. This person oversaw one of the bloodiest chapters in the country's past.

In practice, the controversy spread like wildfire as Chinese brands cut him off one by one and China Media Group, the parent group of state broadcaster CCTV, suspended broadcasts of La Liga matches. A foreign ministry spokesperson remarked: "Words and actions that hurt the feelings of the Chinese people will naturally be met with joint opposition from all sectors of Chinese society."

But on the Chinese internet, few were explicitly spelling out those words and actions, or even using the name of Mao – who remains a near-sacred figure in the country.

China's sophisticated censorship system. It cuts 1.4 billion individuals off from the global internet, meant numerous didn't know exactly what had happened.

In practice, the accusation of "hurting the feelings of the Chinese people" alone seemed enough to trigger a tsunami of anger, amplified by social media algorithms and a heavily controlled internet, where individuals are wary of disagreeing with the majority view.

It wasn't long before Mbappé, one of the biggest football stars in the world, remarked he was "sincerely sorry" for his "ill-judged" comment. His club, Real Madrid, and the Spanish league La Liga, additionally issued apologies. China is a massive market for the world's most popular sport.

Beijing afterwards confirmed it was taking the footballer's apology "seriously". China Media Group has yet to say whether broadcasts will resume. But the anger online lingered.

"An apology is the least he should do, but I don't forgive him. I backing a ban on him, " read a top comment on Weibo.

Mbappé did not mention Mao by name in the interview, but plenty of felt any joke that involved the founder of Communist China crossed a line.

"Do you know who you hurt? He is the spiritual pillar of the Chinese individuals, " read one Weibo comment liked by more than 700 users.

"He's the most significant figure in our history. Do you think a simple apology can create everything okay?" another wrote.

Ironically, despite the heavy backlash, plenty of on Chinese social media are still asking what exactly the French forward stated. They tried AI chatbots, which are just as censored as the Chinese internet and couldn't provide any answers. Others attempted to explain, but skirted around any mention of Mao.

References were created to "the person on the 100 yuan note" and "the teacher", a title Mao once employed for himself. Screenshots of the meme and interview were shared, with both the word "dictator" and Mbappé's face blurred out.

Despite the turmoil of his rule, including the Great Leap Forward and the Cultural Revolution. It led to a famine that killed tens of millions and unleashed violent purges throughout Chinese society, he remains a revered figure in China.

Notably, a portrait of Mao overlooks Beijing's Tiananmen Square, a symbol of how central he is in the modern Chinese imagination. Unlike other former Chinese leaders, his embalmed body is placed on public display there, drawing tens of thousands of visitors every day. Over recent years, there has been a revival of interest in him among young individuals. This person read his works and watch clips of him on social media.

Chinese history books downplay the devastation during Mao's rule. The Chinese Communist Party's verdict on Mao is that his achievements outweigh his mistakes. In their eyes, he is "a great revolutionary and a great Marxist".

But outside China, history sees Mao as both a revolutionary and a dictator. After Mao's rule – was particularly different, and so reactions among the diaspora – dissidents as well as individuals whose families fled China decades ago.

"You don't need to apologise, you are not wrong, " a highly liked comment written in Chinese under the football star's X statement read.

"The ones who should apologise are the CCP; they kidnapped the Chinese people and brainwashed them, " another Chinese user wrote.

On X and Threads, neither of which are accessible in China, the controversy spawned even more memes. While others go further, placing him on the body of current Chinese leader Xi Jinping, some feature Mbappé's face on other images of Mao.

And then there was the rest of the internet which was simply puzzled.

"It's honestly hard to understand. It seems like individuals aren't allowed to speak out against their leaders. And they expect the whole world to think the same way they do? That's ridiculous, " read a top comment under Real Madrid's apology on Instagram.

"How dare you call a dictator a dictator? Terrible, " another user on X wrote.

Taken together, the developments around china made Mbappé apologise – but many don' t know exactly what he point to a situation that is still moving, and the coming days should bring more clarity.