Mbappé meme creator recounts its impact in China
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on La Nouvelle Tribune
Younes Khelifi, creator of the montage showing Kylian Mbappé as Mao Zedong, said he recognised the international reach of his meme, published in 2023. He said he felt no guilt, while regretting the consequences for the player, in an interview with So Foot on 28 October 2026.
Younes Khelifi, creator of the montage showing Kylian Mbappé as Mao Zedong, said that his meme had gained an international reach he had not anticipated. “At first, I made it to have a laugh with friends, and now I see it becoming an international incident,” the Frenchman, who uses the pseudonym “frenchaicovers” on X, explained in an interview with So Foot quoted by La Nouvelle Tribune.
Khelifi made the montage in 2023. He said he had feared legal action from Mbappé’s family before taking the matter with humour, while insisting that he felt no guilt. He said he was sorry that the Real Madrid player had found himself at the centre of the crisis with China.
The interview comes as the commercial and sporting consequences of the controversy continue. Chinese brands Dongpeng, Mengniu and Milkground have ended their contracts with Mbappé, while state broadcaster China Media Group has suspended the broadcasting of La Liga matches, according to La Nouvelle Tribune. China maintained its boycott despite the player’s apology on 28 October, as recalled by the continuation of Mbappé’s boycott.
