Kylian Mbappé’s China crisis shows how sensitive Mao’s legacy remains

Real Madrid forward was dropped by brands for comments Chinese media generally steered clear of outlining

It’s been a bad start to the week for the France forward Kylian Mbappé. He missed out on joining the elite roster of Ballon d’Or winners, and instead became the latest high-profile addition to a far less illustrious list – that of foreign brands and individuals charged with “hurting the feelings of the Chinese people”.

The saga began when a video of the Real Madrid player making light of a meme involving him and China’s former leader Mao Zedong began spreading.

Within hours Mbappé found himself condemned online, before being unceremoniously dropped by brands, then held responsible for state television suspending the entire top Spanish league from its schedule.