Mbappé, Mao, and La Liga

By Human Rights Watch

Click to expand Image An advertisement featuring French soccer star Kylian Mbappé in Shanghai, China, June 30, 2026. © 2026 Chinatopix via AP Photo This week a Chinese sports forum unearthed an April 2026 interview with Real Madrid football star Kylian Mbappé jokingly likening himself to a “Chinese dictator” (dictateur chinois). While Mbappé, known for dictating terms on the pitch, did not name names, the broadcaster added art showing him as Chinese Communist Party founder Mao Zedong.Beijing’s reaction was swift. China’s Foreign Ministry claimed the words “hurt the feelings of the Chinese…

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