Real Madrid: Chinese television reacts after Mbappé's apology

China Media Group issues a statement on Mbappé

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Real Madrid: Chinese television reacts after Mbappé's apology

This Tuesday, in a statement published on social media, Kylian Mbappé apologised for his comments about former leader Mao Zedong. The remarks sparked a major controversy in China and led to the cancellation of several advertising contracts.

"During a recent interview, I reacted to an image of myself portraying me. That comment was ill-judged, and I now understand that it hurt many people in China and within the Chinese community around the world. I apologise to everyone my words upset. That was absolutely not my intention. I have deep respect for the Chinese people and their history, and I am sincerely sorry," he wrote.

In a video on social media, the Real Madrid striker described Mao Zedong as a "dictator".

China Media Group takes note of the apology

A few hours after Kylian Mbappé's public apology over his comments about Mao Zedong, China Media Group, the parent company of CCTV, reacted. It said that it had taken note of the information concerning the Real Madrid player's statement.

🚨 KYLIAN MBAPPÉ STATEMENT: “During a recent interview, I reacted to an image of myself. 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 This was absolutely not my intention. I have deep respect for the Chinese people and their history. I am sincerely sorry.”
— Madrid Xtra (@MadridXtra) October 27, 2026

“Following the public apology issued by Kylian Mbappé, the Real Madrid player, for his inappropriate comments about China, a China Media Group representative said that he had taken note of the relevant information. He stressed that while words are important, actions are equally important, and expressed the hope that La Liga, Real Madrid and Mbappé himself would learn from this experience, offer sincere apologies and correct their past mistakes,” the official statement relayed by the Chinese media outlet Dongqiudi said.

Mbappé removed from the Ballon d'Or ranking in China

The controversy has certainly taken on significant proportions. According to information from Cadena SER, the Asian country's sports media outlet Dongqiudi simply censored the Frenchman's name from its Ballon d'Or ranking.

Between Harry Kane and Lamine Yamal, there is now a certain "chá wú cǐ rén", which can be translated as "no person with this name was found".

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Joshua SOSSOU

Editorfr, en, ar

As a sports fan, and particularly a football fan, I've been putting my writing talent to good use for a number of years now to promote African talent and the continent's football in general. On Foot Africa, enjoy reading each of my lines.