Dongpeng breaks contract with Mbappé after comments on Zedong Meme

O chinese group of drinks Dongpeng announced today the end of his collaboration with Real Madrid's French footballer Kylian Mbappé, after the player admitted to having fun with humorous images that compare him to Mao Zedong.

Dongpeng Beverage Group, through its official account and the Bu Shui La brand, released reports on the Chinese social network Weibo to confirm the immediate disruption of commercial relations with the player, invoking a policy of “zero tolerance towards behaviors that undermine national feelings”.

However, the company did not specify the events that motivated the decision.

In recent months, announcements by French footballer to promote Bu Shui La brand drinks have frequently appeared in bus stops, public transport vehicles and elevators from Chinese cities, especially during the summer, on the occasion of the 2026 World Cup.

In the communiqués, which present the same corporate seal as the parent company, Dongpeng merely expresses its “firm opposition” without identifying any specific incident in a context of strong censorship on Chinese social networks.

In China, satires addressed to former leaders and historical figures associated with the Chinese Communist Party (PCC) can be punished under legislation that criminalises the “difference of heroes and martyrs”.

Dongpeng's announcement follows the disclosure of a response from Mbappé in a recent interview, when he was asked about his favorite humorous image on the Internet, known as 'meme'.

“ The one I laughed the most about was one where they used my face on a Chinese dictator. I use it a lot with my friends”, said the player, not to mention specifically any Chinese leader.

In recent months, it has become popular on social networks a montage that overlaps the face of Real Madrid's advance to a portrait of Mao Zedong, founder of the People's Republic of China, used by supporters to satirize the French footballer.

The termination of Mbappé's contract joins a series of recent controversies involving Spanish football clubs in China.

In September, official Chinese media criticised Real Madrid following the publication of a social media message that jointly mentioned Nepal and the Chinese region of Tibet following floods.

The formulation was considered “incorrect” by the Chinese press, for placing the two territories in the same plan.

In April, FC Barcelona apologized in China after the disclosure of an image with the flag of Taiwan on a page managed by third parties and associated with its international academy.

In February this year, Real Madrid released on the social network Weibo an apology attributed to defense Dean Huijsen, after the player had republished in his Instagram account a content considered racist and offensive to Asian citizens.