From Swansea ball boy attack to £150m fortune and working with Ronaldinho: How Eden Hazard's victim became filthy rich

There was more than just a hint of excitement in the air as the final stages of the match at Liberty Stadium approached in January 2013. The score was 0-0 between the home team Swansea City and Champions League holders Chelsea. But with the Swans having won the first leg of their League Cup semi-final 2-0 at Stamford Bridge, they were within touching distance of preparing for a final appearance at Wembley.

Time was running out for the Blues when the ball rolled out of play in the 79th minute, and uperstar Eden Hazard, at the time one of the best players in the world, ran after the ball to try and keep the game moving.

Shortly afterwards, television pictures showed a ball boy writhing in pain on the ground while the Belgian forward was shown a red card. It quickly became clear that Hazard had kicked the 17-year-old boy in the stomach as he threw himself on the ball to waste time, and the sending-off was justified on the grounds of violent conduct.

imago, insta @charliem0rgan
Building a brand
The ball boy in question was Charlie Morgan, the son of Swansea director, and his actions soon went viral around the world. However, few would have imagined what his future might look like. Now 29, Morgan is a millionaire businessman in his own right after creating his own brand of premium vodka alongside his friend, Jackson Quinn.
"Au Vodka" quickly evolved from a product that the two sold in and around Swansea to a global brand that is now available in the best clubs on the party island of Ibiza, for example. The striking design of the shiny gold bottles certainly helped them catch the eye, and they retail at around £30 each.
"Au Vodka is for those who prefer individuality to collective following," says the brand's website. "Au was founded in 2015 in the heart of Wales and has grown exponentially to become the most popular and sought-after vodka in the United Kingdom."

Superstar endorsements
The brand's meteoric rise was aided by involvement from well-known British DJ and television producer, Charlie Sloth, who was so impressed by the product after a tasting that he decided to support the Morgan and Quinn going forward.
Au Vodka quickly established a distribution network throughout Europe and expanded into the United States in 2023. Brazilian legend Ronaldinho and boxing superstar Floyd Mayweather have been involved in advertising the product – and so too has Hazard, who after reconciling with Morgan has smiled for the cameras several times with the drink of his former nemesis.
Vast fortune
Morgan and Quinn were named to The Times' 2022 ranking of England's youngest wealthy people, with the duo reportedly worth around £45 million each at the time. Nowadays, they can only smile wearily at that. According to its own figures, Au Vodka sells 35,000 bottles a day from its 'Fully Gold' headquarters in Swansea, and according to the Daily Mail, Morgan will be worth the equivalent of £150m by 2025.
As for Hazard, he hung up his boots in 2023 after an injury-hit spell at Real Madrid, and later met up with Morgan, writing on social media: "The beauty of retirement is that you can meet up with old friends. You've achieved a lot in the last eleven years, my friend @Charlie Morgan."

Building a brand

Superstar endorsements

Vast fortune