Kylian Mbappé of Real Madrid reacts during the match between FC Barcelona and Real Madrid at Camp Nou in Barcelona, Spain on October 25, 2026. Photo: VCG

French football star Kylian Mbappé has lost at least three Chinese sponsorships after inappropriate remarks in an interview triggered widespread criticism from Chinese football fans, prompting two major domestic companies to end their cooperation with the Real Madrid forward.

Dongpeng Beverage Group announced on Tuesday that it would terminate all cooperation with Mbappé, saying it firmly opposed and had zero tolerance for conduct that hurts national sentiments.

"Our company firmly opposes and maintains a zero-tolerance stance toward any actions that hurt the national sentiments of the people. Effective immediately, we are terminating all cooperation with Kylian Mbappé," the company said in a statement.

Chinese dairy giant Mengniu also decided to terminate its cooperation with the French forward.

"Mengniu firmly opposes and has zero tolerance for any words or actions that hurt the feelings of the Chinese people," the Mengniu statement reads. 

Cheese-making coumpany Milkground also announced on Tuesday that it would end all cooperation with Mbappé, saying it firmly opposed and had zero tolerance for any words or actions that hurt the feelings of the Chinese people.

Social media platform RedNote, which had a coopeartion contract with Mbappe in 2024, said Tuesday it is currently reviewing and removing related content and materials.

News apps operated by China's state broadcaster CCTV can no longer be found to contain any content related to the French striker. 

The decisions followed mounting criticism on Chinese social media after an interview featuring Mbappé circulated online. 

The backlash intensified late on Monday, when Dongqiudi, a major Chinese football news and community platform, issued a statement saying that it would not translate the interview because the footballer's remarks had hurt the feelings of Chinese fans and Chinese people.

The Dongqiudi statement prompted further criticism of Mbappé, with users questioning his conduct and calling on Real Madrid to address the controversy. 

One highly upvoted comment questioned why Real Madrid players repeatedly found themselves embroiled in controversies, referring to defender Dean Huijsen's incident involving offensive content about Asians in February and the club's social media post in August referring to flood victims in the Himalayas. The latter wording also drew criticism from Chinese users over the omission of China's name in the reference.

The controversy originated from an interview published by football-focused online show The Bridge. The discussion of an internet meme featuring Mbappé drew criticism in China, where online users questioned the appropriateness of his comments and their implications for Chinese fans.

As of Tuesday, no publicly response from Mbappé, Real Madrid, or the French Football Federation, to the controversy had been identified.