Mbappé later posted an apology on X. "My comment was ill-judged, and I now understand that it hurt many people in China and in Chinese communities around the world," he wrote. He added: "I have deep respect for the Chinese people and their history, and I am sincerely sorry."

The beverage company Dongpeng, which had used AI-generated images of him in World Cup advertisements, ended its cooperation with immediate effect, citing a "zero-tolerance policy towards any behaviour that offends national sentiments." Mengniu, described as China's largest dairy producer, also cut ties. Mengniu and other companies said they "firmly oppose and have zero tolerance for any words or actions that hurt the feelings of the Chinese people." Reports differ on how many brands left. Some name only Dongpeng and Mengniu. Others add Shanghai Milkground Food Tech, and one agency reported a second dairy manufacturer and the social media platform Xiaohongshu.

A state-backed outlet reported that state broadcaster CCTV halted La Liga broadcasts and removed advertisements featuring Mbappé. Accounts of how far that went vary. A search for "Mbappe" on the CCTV website returned no results, yet La Liga matches were still on its online schedule. On Weibo, the hashtag "Dongpeng Beverage ends cooperation with Mbappe" drew 430 million views, and four Mbappé-related topics were in the platform's top 10 searches. Some users called for him to be blacklisted and his commercial value cut to zero. One called the remarks "extremely serious" and "unacceptable." Dongqiudi, a major Chinese football outlet, called them "offensive to China and the Chinese people."

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun said that "words and actions that hurt the feelings of the Chinese people will naturally be met with unanimous rejection from all sectors of Chinese society." La Liga president Javier Tebas apologized on X and said the league deeply regretted comments that "have caused discomfort and offence in China." La Liga said they were made in Mbappé's personal capacity and do not represent the league. "A relationship built over so many years cannot be damaged by a single episode," Tebas said.

Mao ruled China from 1949 until his death in 1976, and jokes about him remain a social taboo there. Fans have put Mbappé's face on military and political leaders, and the European press has nicknamed him "the dictator." In a September interview with L'Equipe, he said a part of the meme trend was funny, but that the viral ones depicting him as a dictator showed "a lack of political and human awareness." The backlash follows earlier cases of sports figures facing anger in China, including the NBA's 2019 suspension there after Daryl Morey's tweet about Hong Kong.

The terminations came a day after Mbappé lost the Ballon d'Or to Harry Kane on Monday.