It’s nearly 10 years since Eden Hazard kicked Swansea City ball boy Charlie Morgan during his debut season with Chelsea.
Time really does fly.
Hazard was shown a straight red card by referee Chris Foy following the bizarre incident during a League Cup clash at the Liberty Stadium in January 2013. The Belgian winger caught the young lad while attempting to retrieve the ball. Only a teenager at the time, Morgan appeared to be in considerable pain as he left the pitch while holding his side.
“The boy put his whole body on to the ball and I was just trying to kick the ball,” Hazard insisted after the two-legged tie, which Chelsea lost 2-0 on aggregate. “I think I kicked the ball and not the boy. I apologise.” Hazard had said.
The youngster took to Twitter to confirm that he’d spoken to Hazard and wouldn’t be pressing charges. South Wales Police also stated that no action would be taken against the former Lille star, who was 22 at the time.
Charlie, it turned out, was the 17-year-old son of Swansea director Martin Morgan – owner of the Morgans Hotel and worth a reported £65 million, according to The Sun.
In the aftermath of the Hazard incident, Charlie’s social media following went from 600 to 100,000. Several newspapers, meanwhile, revealed the youngster lived an ‘enviable lifestyle’ involving luxury holidays and flash cars.
Almost a decade later, however, and Charlie is now well and truly living the high life.
Three years after his clash with Hazard, Charlie realised his dream of setting up his own business after spotting a gap in the alcohol market.
Alongside his friend Jackson Quinn, the pair created Au Vodka – a vision that stemmed from watching their pals unwrap bottles of their favourite vodka on their 18th, 19th and 20th birthdays.
Per the Manchester Evening News (MEN), Au Vodka has gone from a one-time limited run of 2,000 bottles (sold to local bars in Swansea) to now manufacturing a remarkable 35,000 bottles daily over the past six years.
The brand has also gone international and can be purchased in 40 countries around the world, including Australia, Spain, the United States and Dubai in the United Arab Emirates.
The addition of Charlie Sloth – a British DJ, producer and TV presenter – was a game-changer for the company.Things really blew up for us in 2019 when Charlie came on board,” Jordan Major, Head of e-Commerce at Au Vodka, was quoted saying by Retail Sector in October 2021.
“Charlie helped us get endorsements from UK rappers and celebrities, including the likes of Headie One, Chip and Nine.
“We then launched our Black Grape flavour, and we coloured the vodka itself to match – which was something that hadn’t really been done with vodka before. It was a huge success.
“Then, earlier this year, we had our biggest endorsement yet – from boxing legend Floyd Mayweather. Floyd is a hero of ours, so it was a really surreal moment to see him holding bottles of Au vodka." Jordan added.
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| Charlie Morgan: From ball boy to Billionaire! |
Crowned the winner of Brightpearl’s Lightning 50 – a league table that showcases the UK’s fastest-growing retail brands – in 2021, Au Vodka’s turnover grew from £800,000 to a mind blowing £38.5 million, according to Retail Sector.
Named the most popular vodka brand on the internet by The Spirits Business, Au Vodka’s founders Charlie and Jackson entered The Times’ Young Rich List this year, placing 24th with an estimated fortune of £40 million each.
Au Vodka was also named by The Times as the number one company to watch in 2023, per the MEN’s report.
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