Mbappé apologizes for comment about Mao Zedong: 'Understand that it hurt'

Kylian Mbappé faced backlash in China after joking about a meme depicting him as a dictator. Following the controversy, he issued an apology acknowledging the hurt caused by his comments. Several companies, including Dongpeng and Mengniu, ended their partnerships with him. Mbappé, who had a significant following in China, expressed respect for the Chinese people and their history in his apology. The memes originated from a previous incident involving influencer Mohamed Henni, which led to a series of edited images of Mbappé as a dictator circulating online.