Kylian Mbappé’s China crisis shows how sensitive Mao’s legacy remains

It’s been a bad start to the week for the France forward Kylian Mbappé. He missed out on joining the elite roster of Ballon d’Or winners, and instead became the latest high-profile addition to a far less illustrious list – that of foreign brands and individuals charged with “hurting the feelings of the Chinese people”.

The saga began when a video of the Real Madrid player making light of a meme involving him and China’s former leader Mao Zedong began spreading.