Jose Mourinho has defended Kylian Mbappe over the controversy surrounding comments made about China's late leader Mao Zedong, saying the Real Madrid forward showed "true class" by acting swiftly to apologise.

Speaking at his pre-match news conference ahead of Sunday's La Liga trip to Racing Santander, Mourinho reflected on the risks of public life in the modern age.

"Those are the dangers of today's world where often the best thing you can do is keep your mouth shut," the Real Madrid head coach said. "But I've also seen him act very responsibly toward a club that, at this level, is truly first-class. And as far as we're concerned, that's it. There's nothing else for us to do."

How the controversy unfolded

The incident began when Mbappe appeared on the French talk show The Bridge. During the episode, he was asked about memes that made him laugh, and he described one as featuring "a Chinese dictator" — a reference that was later identified as Mao Zedong. The show then cut to footage of a meme with Mbappe's face superimposed on an image resembling Mao.

Mbappe, 27, is frequently nicknamed a "dictator" in football circles owing to his immense influence on the game. The comment, however, sparked widespread backlash on social media both in China and internationally, and a number of Chinese brands severed ties with him as a result.

On Tuesday, Mbappe issued a formal apology, acknowledging that his words had been "ill-judged" and stating: "I now understand that it hurt many people in China and in Chinese communities around the world."

Mourinho dismisses AI deepfake concerns

Mourinho was also asked whether he was troubled by artificial intelligence-generated video clips falsely depicting him and Mbappe. He was unfazed.

"I don't worry," he said. "My club is Real Madrid, and my player is Kylian Mbappe. Both Real Madrid and Kylian Mbappe have shown the class to react immediately, and I feel very well represented by both of them."

Mourinho, who claimed La Liga with Real Madrid during the 2011-12 season in his first stint at the club, appeared eager to draw a line under the affair ahead of the weekend fixture.