Chinese Interest in Real Madrid Tickets Falls 74% after Mbappé-Mao row
- Last Updated On
- Dov Rawson
Over the last few years, Real Madrid has drawn strong interest on SeatPick from fans in China. That changed almost overnight in late October.
In the two weeks after Kylian Mbappé’s remarks about Mao Zedong surfaced in China, visits from Chinese users to our Real Madrid tickets page fell by 74%. Sponsors and broadcasters were the first to react. Our data suggests fans have followed.
What Actually Happened
On 27 October, a clip from the French programme The Bridge began circulating in China. Asked about his favourite meme of himself, Mbappé picked one showing his face on Mao’s body, and referred to Mao as a dictator.
The reaction was fast. At least three Chinese brands, Dongpeng Beverage, Mengniu and Milkground, ended their partnerships with him. State broadcaster CCTV pulled a Real Madrid La Liga match from its schedule and La Liga said it regretted the offence caused to Chinese fans.
Mbappé apologised, calling his comment ill-judged. China’s state media has said his apology will be judged by his actions.
What Our Data Shows
We compared visits from users in China to our Real Madrid ticket pages across two 15-day windows: 12–26 October, before the clip surfaced, and 27 October–10 November, after it. Traffic fell by 74%.
The fall came as the story spread across Chinese social media, where hashtags about brands ending deals with Mbappé and fans boycotting him topped Weibo’s trending list.
“At SeatPick, we’ve seen significant interest from Chinese fans in Real Madrid over the last few years,” said Guy Kogel, co-founder of SeatPick. “A 74% drop in a matter of weeks is the sharpest swing we have seen for any club, and shows how quickly a single remark can reshape a global fanbase.”
What It Means, and What to Watch
China is a big market for European football, and clubs work hard to grow their fanbase there. Sponsorship deals and TV rights tend to grab the headlines when a controversy hits. Our numbers show the impact reaches further, into whether fans want to see the club play live.
The open question is whether interest recovers. Mbappé has apologised, and how Chinese fans respond over the coming months will show whether this is a short-term dip or a lasting shift. We’ll keep tracking the data and share an update.
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