Real Madrid apologises for Kylian Mbappe's Mao Zedong remark

Real Madrid issued an apology on Wednesday to the Chinese people after French forward Kylian Mbappe referred to late Chinese leader Mao Zedong as a dictator in a French podcast.

Chinese dairy and beverage brands, including Mengniu, Shanghai Milkground Food Tech, and Eastroc Beverage, ceased all cooperation with Mbappe following the backlash.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun stated on Wednesday that Beijing takes the player's apology seriously.