Kylian Mbappé has for months been the target of online mockery that casts him as a dictator, a meme that has produced many versions, some AI-generated, including one with his face superimposed on Mao Zedong. The joke reflects gossip that the 27-year-old forward dominates the clubs he plays for and the France national team. When asked which of the mockeries he found funniest—most are set to a "Kylian Dictator" refrain and show him dressed as a generalissimo—Mbappé said he was amused by the "Chinese dictator" version that friends often sent him.
China's reaction was immediate and severe: anger, canceled contracts, a ban on broadcasting La Liga and demands for apologies that arrived quickly and in abundance. The source frames the episode as an obedience test imposed by China on all affected parties—Real Madrid, La Liga and the companies involved—requiring them to show contrition without China yet relenting.
The commentary argues that to prove Mao Zedong was not a dictator, the regime Mao founded has behaved like a dictatorship. It describes a system that uses a mammoth market and commercial leverage to force foreign companies to self-censor in advance, and it says China's government reserves the exclusive right to decide what offends the country and what punishment follows.
The piece also asks how a 27-year-old who scores so many goals could fail to grasp the nuances of China's single-party regime, a question it attributes rhetorically to Chinese officials. It notes that a regime with overwhelming economic power can surround a symbol with solemnity and make it untouchable, and that such solemnity can become sincere for many people when power insists on it.
Contrasting responses, the article says a democracy assumes that one person may be offended and another may respond, even if the joke is bad. It describes China's reaction as a display of power with few precedents, citing the earlier temporary cancellation of NBA broadcasts, and concludes that the affected parties have little choice but to apologize and wait to be forgiven.
Sources: El País Deportes.