Former Swansea City ballboy who was KICKED by Chelsea legend Eden Hazard set to sell vodka empire for £500million
A former Swansea City ballboy who was once kicked by Eden Hazard is set to sell his vodka empire for £500million, 13 years on from the infamous incident.
Charlie Morgan made headlines back in 2013 when he caused Blues icon Hazard to be sent off in a League Cup game. He had received the ball, dived on it – seemingly to waste time – and Hazard ended up kicking him to try and get the ball back.
The Belgian was given his marching orders, with football fans worldwide split over the ordeal between the attacking great and a teenager.
Now 30, though, Morgan has set himself up for life with vodka brand Au Vodka, which he created with school friend Jackson Quinn in 2015.
Now, according to Sky, Morgan and Quinn are in talks over a possible £500m sale to American drinks giant the Sazerac Company.
The duo have moved the business into very glitzy, ‘fully gold’ offices in their home city over the last few years, but may not have to work again if the sale goes through.
Former Swansea ballboy Charlie Morgan (left) – once kicked by Eden Hazard (right) – is set to sell his vodka empire for £500million
Morgan made headlines in 2013 when he dived on the ball as a ballboy and was kicked by the Chelsea forward
Au Vodka, which sells more than 35,000 bottles of the premium spirit per day, is currently headquartered in premises which not only feature a gold exterior but also boast a gold ceiling, gold café and gold signage – to match its signature gold bottles.
Announcing the move on LinkedIn, Charlie reflected on the brand’s growth, proudly writing: ‘Introducing….. The new Au Vodka HQ.
‘We spent four years in our first office which was only 250 sq ft and only just fit myself, Jackson Quinn and Jordan Major (who was just 16 and packing orders!).
‘We spent 5 years in a industrial unit in Swansea, where we grew the business exponentially and the team to 96 people, which we added a new mezzanine floor to house more people four times.
‘Today we’ve moved into our new home – A fully gold HQ which really represents Au and what we stand for.’
Celebrities including Brazilian footballing legend Ronaldinho and former American boxer Floyd Mayweather are amongst those who have thrown their weight behind the brand, while fans have congratulated Charlie on the new headquarters, with one praising the business leader for staying ‘true’ by not moving out of Swansea.
Reports suggest negotiations have been going on for several months and an agreement is close.
Sazerac is understood to be keen to build their presence in Britain, with each founder reportedly set to take £100m each from any sale. They could yet retain roles in the company, too.
Hazard saw red for the incident, before the duo reunited in laughter years later
Sazerac are working with law firm Forsey, Au Vodka is represented by DLA Piper.
Even Hazard appears to be a fan after the pair reunited two years ago in a PR campaign that gripped the footballing world’s interest.
The two men put their fraught history behind them, appearing together in a photoshoot to promote Charlie’s vodka.
Hazard posted several photos on his social media accounts, posing with Morgan while holding a glass of blue raspberry Au Vodka.
He wrote on X: ‘A nice thing about retirement is catching up with old friends. You have come a long way in 11 years my friend @charliem0rgan, @auvodka x @hazardeden10.’
Hazard shared several other pictures to his page, showing the two looking at a chess board that had a number of bottles of AU Vodka on it.