I'm the ball boy who got kicked by Hazard… now I'm worth £40 million and on the famous Rich List
CHARLIE MORGAN has come a long way since being kicked by Eden Hazard after reuniting with the former Chelsea star.
Since the infamous altercation 11 years ago, he has made a name for himself outside £40million football.
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As a 17-year-old in 2013, the youngster tried to waste time during the second leg of Swansea's League Cup semi-final against the Blues.
Charlie bravely shielded the ball from Hazard as he rolled out for a corner.
Chelsea were 2-0 down in the first leg and with just ten minutes to go, panic struck.
Hazard's frustration with the state of play and Charlie's antics led to him kicking the teenager as he tried to get the ball away from him.
The Belgian was shown a red card for violent conduct and Swansea eliminated Chelsea before winning the League Cup thanks to a 5-0 win over Bradford in the final at Wembley.
Eleven years later, the pair were reunited this week, with Hazard sharing a photo with his 'old friend' on social media.
The Belgian toasted the occasion with a drink and captioned the post: “The great thing about retirement is catching up with old friends.
“You've come a long way in eleven years, my friend.”
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Charlie has made a name for himself beyond that bizarre moment with Hazard.
In fact, he is a multi-millionaire with a thriving vodka company worth £40 million.
He founded the company – called Au Vodka – in 2016 with school friend Jackson Quinn.
They steadily increased their sales, but things really started to take off in December 2019 when they shifted 10,000 bottles of black grape vodka in one month.
And Charlie's empire saw him named on the Sunday Times Rich List for 2022.
The young entrepreneur's father is Martin Morgan – Swansea FC director and owner of Morgan's Hotel.
But Charlie has certainly made a name for himself – with a host of celebrities pictured endorsing his product.
Among them are ex-footballer Ronaldinho, club owner Wayne Lineker and boxing legend Floyd Mayweather.
Charlie has even claimed that Mayweather contacted the company.
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Speak with WalesOnline in 2021, he said: “We got a contact for Floyd – through a mutual friend of Frost, the music producer – and we were told that Floyd absolutely loves the brand and loved the black grape flavor.
“We were asked if he could have a few bottles before he went home.
“We said yes, okay, sure, and Floyd said he would post a picture on Instagram as long as we included him when we do something big in America.
“Years ago we asked ourselves who would be the best ambassador to hold the bottle and I think our answer was Floyd, so it's amazing how it has manifested itself.
“Seeing the brand in the hands of someone you admire is amazing.”
Au Vodka now produces 35,000 bottles PER DAY, although Morgan has admitted that some flavors really didn't work.
The manuka honey and chocolate orange flavors were both discontinued because they didn't taste good, while Charlie himself called a banana “particularly disgusting”.
But that doesn't stop the company from continuing to grow.
That said, Morgan, now valued at £40 million, is still a far cry from the net worth of Hazard, with whom he had that famous altercation all those years ago.
As for Hazard, who is estimated to have a fortune of £80 million, the Belgian legend hung up his boots after his release from Real Madrid in October 2023.