Kylian Mbappe predictably bends the knee after losing Chinese sponsors for laughing at meme of dictator Mao

Soccer superstar Kylian Mbappe laughed at a meme involving Mao Zedong, the who died a half-century ago, and is facing serious backlash in the form of losing Chinese sponsors and having his team's matches banned on television around the country.

During a recent interview on The Bridge, a French talk show hosted by Mbappe's Real Madrid teammate Aurelien Tchouameni, the 27-year-old star reportedly said the meme "that makes me laugh the most, it's the one where there's a video of a guy, I think it's a Chinese dictator, they put my [face over it]." Mbappe smiled as the show cut to a meme of his face imposed on an image resembling Mao.

One of Mbappe's most popular nicknames is "The Dictator," given his prowess on the field and overall influence on the globally. Mao ruled China as a communist dictator from 1949 to 1976, with his regime resulting in tens of millions of deaths.

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Eastroc Beverage Group Co. and China Mengniu Dairy Co., two Chinese consumer brands that hired Mbappe, have both announced that they are cutting ties with Mbappe after their stocks took a hit, according to Bloomberg. Dongpeng, a drink company, stated it was cutting all ties with Mbappe as well.

Mbappe's official social media accounts on the Weibo and Xiaohongshu platforms have reportedly been frozen and marked with notices about violating regulations. State-run CCTV not only reportedly stopped airing Real Madrid matches in China, but also all La Liga matches, the top-flight league in Spain that features a total of 20 clubs.

Lin Jian, a spokesperson for China's foreign ministry, even weighed in with a stark statement about Mbappe's joke about a meme. "We have noted the relevant reports. Words and deeds that hurt the feelings of the Chinese people will naturally be met with opposition from all sectors of Chinese society," Jian stated, per The Financial Times.

With fierce action being taken by communist China, both La Liga and Mbappe did not take long to succumb to the pressure and swiftly issued apologies.

On Tuesday, La Liga issued a statement explaining that it "deeply regrets the offense caused by Kylian Mbappé's recent comments among Chinese fans. These comments were made in a personal capacity and do not represent LALIGA. To the extent of our institutional responsibility, we apologize on behalf of LALIGA and all its clubs."

Less than an hour later came Mbappe's apology, which he shared with his millions of followers across social media.

"During a recent interview, I reacted to an image of myself," the statement began. "My comment was ill-judged, and I now understand that it hurt many people in China and in Chinese communities around the world.

"I apologise to everyone my words have upset. This was absolutely not my intention. I have deep respect for the Chinese people and their history, and I am sincerely sorry."

If this situation feels familiar, it's becau