“ESSENTIAL LESSON”
Offline too the Mbappe brand appeared to be under threat.
When AFP visited the Adidas flagship store in Beijing’s Sanlitun shopping district, Real Madrid shirts were available for sale, but none bearing the striker’s name.
Mbappe merchandise including unofficial jerseys, beanies and caps remain available on retail app Taobao.
Chinese state media have previously praised Mbappe as a “footballing sensation” and “talent”, with the forward well-loved by fans in the country.
His face is plastered on billboards, on soft drinks and across social media.
Mbappe is also sometimes affectionately referred to as “Guigui”, meaning “turtle” in Chinese, for his resemblance to a character from the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie.
Other major overseas sports leagues have previously angered China.
China suspended sponsorship deals with the NBA while the state broadcaster pulled NBA games off Chinese television for a year in October 2019.
This followed Houston Rockets executive Daryl Morey tweeting “Fight for freedom, stand with Hong Kong”, referring to protests Beijing called separatist and seditious.
“In this era of economic globalisation, an increasing number of celebrities are stepping onto the global stage, engaging with fans and business partners from diverse cultural backgrounds,” the official People’s Daily said in an opinion piece this week.
“Learning how to respect different nations and cultures is an essential lesson.
“Respecting the history, culture, social customs and national sentiments of others is a fundamental principle for cross-border interaction, a standard of conduct widely upheld by the international community.”