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Mbappe’s chaotic 2026 takes new twist: Cancelled in China and threatened with prison
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Analysis
Kylian Mbappe finds himself embroiled in his second major international diplomatic incident of the year after branding Mao Zedong “a dictator”.
The Real Madrid striker, who finished second in the Ballon d’Or, has found himself facing serious financial consequences for apparently joking about the communist revolutionary.
A player who carefully curates his public image, to such an extent that he threatened to boycott sponsorship events with the France national team over commercial responsibilities, it is now a source of embarrassment after being dropped by beverage giant Dongpeng and China’s largest dairy producer Mengniu.
These deals were reportedly worth €7 million annually to Mbappe, who was ‘likely’ to renew his contracts with the pair early next year.
But the crisis hits more than just the France star. Real Madrid matches have been cancelled by CCTV, China’s state broadcaster, highlighting the severity of the situation not just to the player but also to his club and even La Liga.
"My comment was ill-judged, and I now understand that it hurt many people in China and in Chinese communities around the world. I apologise to everyone my words have upset,” Mbappe said in a statement.
La Liga and Real Madrid have also published apologies on behalf of the player.
Why the reaction?
The beginning of the story can be traced back to memes that appeared portraying ‘Dictator Mbappe’.
It’s a subject that the player has addressed before. In September, he told France Football:
“It is in part funny because you get the sense that, for some people, it's all in good fun.
“But there is also the part that is not so funny, because we know the damage this genre of people have caused throughout history.
“To be compared to people who murder others, or who have caused misery for millions and millions of people ... I don't think I've ever done anything like that in my life. So there's a mix of things.
“On the one hand, I know it's done in a light-hearted way and it isn't meant to be taken too far, but it perhaps shows a lack of political and human awareness in people.”
This time, however, his comments were not so warmly welcomed.
Mbappe was speaking to The Bridge, a media outlet owned by Real Madrid team-mate Aurelien Tchouameni when he was asked about his favourite memes.
He named the one in which his image is superimposed on Mao Zedong as his favourite, stating: “The one that made me laugh the most was when they put a video of a guy, a Chinese dictator I think, with my face on it. I use it a lot with my friends online, in video games.”
His choice of words, though, sparked anger from the Chinese government and prompted a Foreign Ministry spokesman to declare: “Any statement or action that offends the feelings of the Chinese people will naturally be met with widespread condemnation from all of Chinese society.”
And it has been. Lucrative contracts and relationships have been ended on a personal basis while it has sparked a wider crisis for Real Madrid and La Liga, while the French FA are also monitoring the situation.
Mbappe threatened with prison: World Cup clash sparks extraordinary diplomatic incident
Remarkably, this is not the first time this year that Mbappe’s actions have resonated across the globe.
During the World Cup, Mbappe attracted the ire of Paraguayan Senator Celeste Amarilla, who took to social media with a racist tirade against the Real Madrid forward and then threatened him with extradition and a possible prison sentence when he hit back.
“This idiot didn't even learn to write. Instead of suckling breast milk, he suckled on coconuts, and the most educated beings he'd ever heard of were chimpanzees,” she wrote on X.
“A Cameroonian, a product of colonialism, desperately trying to pass for French, resentful, nouveau riche, arrogant, and ugly. He was nervous and terrified throughout the entire match, just like his whole team; they didn't even manage to score a goal, they won thanks to a stroke of luck...”
This came against a backdrop of former Paraguay goalkeeper Jose Luis Chilavert proclaiming before the game that France was an “African team”.
Threatened with prison
The response from France was swift. The Paris Public Prosecutor’s Office opened an investigation against Amarilla for public insult, aggravated by the fact that it is pronounced on account of the origin, ethnicity, nation, race or religion, real or supposed, of the victim, as well as for public incitement to hatred or violence.
In response, she said: “I would tell Mbappe to read my letter; I wrote it in French and Spanish. I would tell Mbappe to read my letter, if he can read, and I would tell him to be wary of Paraguayans. Don't attack Paraguayans.
“Here, they put Ronaldinho in prison for a minor offence. Mbappe shouldn't underestimate me. I can hire a lawyer and I can file a complaint against him for gender-based violence and political violence against women. This is serious.”
Madame Celeste Amarilla,
Vous êtes une femme méprisable et indigne de sa fonction.
Vous ne représentez pas le Paraguay, ce pays qui a transpiré la passion et l’honneur tout au long de la compétition. Par votre inconscience et votre racisme décomplexé, le monde entier a déjà… pic.twitter.com/EnYmgQXvPL— Kylian Mbappé (@KMbappe) July 6, 2026
Mbappe, meanwhile, responded via his social accounts.
“You are a despicable woman, unworthy of your position,” he said. “You do not represent Paraguay, a country that exuded passion and honour throughout the competition.
“Through your recklessness and blatant racism, the entire world has already forgotten the journey and historic effort your players made during this World Cup, making way for an incompetent woman who gives the worst possible image of her country. I will never allow people like her to spread their hatred and racism around the world.”
But back in Paraguay, these comments were sufficient to spark Amarilla to consider the possibility of filing a complaint against Mbappe for “slander and defamation”.
“If this double accusation is accepted by the justice system in our country (Paraguay), the maximum sentence could reach three years in prison, which would meet the conditions of the extradition treaty between France and Paraguay,” Amarilla's lawyer, Guillermo Duarte Cacavelos, told Le Parisien.
Meanwhile, Amarilla’s words caught the attention of the UN, with High Commissioner spokesperson Thameen Al-Kheetan issuing a statement on the situation.
“The racist and dehumanising remarks against French footballer Kylian Mbappe by Paraguayan Senator Celeste Amarilla are despicable and, regrettably, not isolated. Reports of racist incidents during the FIFA World Cup 2026 reflect a wider phenomenon across football and sports more broadly,” he wrote.
“Public officials have a heightened responsibility to stand against racism, discrimination and hate speech in their discourse.”
It’s a situation that continues to bubble quietly away in the background, occasionally rearing its head on social media. For example, on 31 August, it was falsely claimed on X that “the witch of Paraguay has been convicted” in a post viewed more than 400,000 times.
The latest update was issued by 20Minutes, which confirmed in September that the investigation into Amarilla by the French authorities is still ongoing. She could face a one-year prison sentence and a fine of €45,000.
For Mbappe, the latest China controversy is another extraordinary chapter in what has become a remarkably turbulent 2026.
While the Paraguay row remains a legal issue bubbling away in the background, the fallout from his Mao Zedong comments has already hit him where it hurts most, with lucrative commercial relationships severed and Real Madrid dragged into a diplomatic storm. For a player who has spent years carefully cultivating his global image, it is an unwanted reminder how fragile superstardom can be.
