Real Madrid forward Kylian Mbappe was removed from Chinese versions of FC Online and eFootball following a major cultural and political controversy. The backlash started after the French footballer referred to a meme of Mao Zedong and his own face as one of his favorites, openly calling the historical figure a Chinese dictator.

Mbappe later stated that Real Madrid players regularly joke about this particular image within the dressing room. Despite his public apology to the Chinese people, the commercial fallout escalated rapidly across the region.

Chinese state television suspended all broadcasts of La Liga matches in response to the incident. Additionally, several local beverage manufacturers officially terminated their advertising contracts with the footballer.