Mbappé's China faux pas: When the sports world collides with the complexities of geopolitics
François Picard welcomes Igor Mladenovic, a French-Serbian sports writer, sports business analyst and former football commentator based in Luxembourg. For Mladenovic, the backlash in China over Kylian Mbappé's playful reference to a meme depicting him in the likeness of Mao Zedong illustrates a dilemma of the digital age: How a seemingly innocuous anecdote from a football superstar can escalate into a geopolitical firestorm.
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François Picard welcomes Igor Mladenovic, a French-Serbian sports writer, sports business analyst and former football commentator based in Luxembourg. For Mladenovic, the backlash in China over Kylian Mbappé's playful reference to a meme depicting him in the likeness of Mao Zedong illustrates a dilemma of the digital age: How a seemingly innocuous anecdote from a football superstar can escalate into a geopolitical firestorm.
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About this article
- Length
- 63 words · 1 min read
- Published
- October 28, 2026
- Byline
- François PICARD
- Source
- France 24 French