Mbappe appeared in a video posted by a French talk show, discussing a funny meme where his face had been photoshopped onto “some guy, I think he’s a Chinese dictator.” 

The person in question was former Chinese leader Mao Zedong, a revered figure who led the Chinese Communist Party to victory in the civil war and founded the People's Republic of China.

Mbappe, Real and La Liga later all apologised for his remarks, and China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said it took the player’s apology “seriously”.

Real Madrid's win over Racing Santander was not broadcast on TV as Mbappe scored the opening goal. This is due to a nationwide blackout of La Liga games as Mbappe's comments cause major issues.

La Liga president Javier Tebas has also become directly involved, holding discussions with China's ambassador to Spain as the saga becomes a major commercial issue.

The China Media Group (CMG), which oversees CCTV adding that apologies from La Liga, Mbappe and Real Madrid were “an absolute prerequisite” to move forward.

Real Madrid boss Jose Mourinho was asked about the situation at his pre-match press conference on Saturday as he chose his words carefully.

“This situation with China highlights the dangers of today’s world, where often the best thing to do is to keep your mouth shut because there’s a risk in so many of the things you say and comment on, but I’ve seen him act very responsibly and with a very big, classy club. As far as we’re concerned, that’s it; there’s nothing more for us to do.”