Mbappé sorry for 'ill-judged' Mao remark after backlash in China
The France star had referred to the former Chinese leader as a "dictator" during an interview about memes.
Kylian Mbappé has apologised for "ill-judged" comments he made about late Chinese leader Mao Zedong which led to him being dropped by several Chinese brands.
Mbappé had reportedly told French talk show The Bridge the meme "that makes me laugh the most, it's the one where there's a video of a guy, I think it's a Chinese dictator..." He then laughs as the programme cuts to a meme showing his face superimposed on an image resembling Mao.
The meme is part of a running joke about the Real Madrid forward being called a "dictator" because of his huge influence in football.
As the anger online grew louder, Chinese brands began to cut ties, although they did not explicitly refer to the video.