Chinese brands cut ties with French soccer star Mbappe over 'Chinese dictator' remark

French soccer star Kylian Mbappe's face appears in ads across China, from subway stations to inside elevators, but now at least three companies are cutting ties with the national team captain after he made some comments apparently referring to Mao Zedong, the founding leader of Communist China, as a dictator.

Beverage maker Dongpeng, dairy giant Mengniu and cheese maker Milkground announced Tuesday in similarly worded statements that they were ending agreements with the soccer star, each saying they oppose "any words and actions that hurt national sentiment."

The companies did not specify what prompted their decisions, but they released their statements after a clip that appeared to show Mbappe being interviewed ahead of going on the French online talk show "The Bridge" circulated on X.

In the video, Mbappe is asked about his favorite meme of himself, and the soccer star replies that it was "a video someone made of a guy ... I think he was a Chinese dictator" before the video shows an altered image depicting Mbappe's face on the blue-suited body of Mao Zedong.

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Soccer fans online jokingly call the star — who's said to overshadow many of his teammates and even the teams he plays on — a dictator, and memes showing him as Mao or other autocratic leaders are widely circulated.

The Associated Press was unable to reach Mbappe's representatives for comment immediately.

China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Guo Jiakun said in response to a question about the controversy that "words and actions that hurt the feelings of the Chinese people will naturally be met with joint opposition from all sectors of Chinese society."

Social media platform RedNote joined the criticism, saying in a separate