Ball boy Eden Hazard kicked in 2013 sells vodka empire for £300m at 31

Charlie Morgan, the Swansea ball boy whose clash with Eden Hazard made global headlines in January 2013, has sold his premium vodka brand to US drinks giant Sazerac in a deal reported to be worth approximately £300m.

Morgan was 17 when Hazard lashed out at him during Chelsea’s League Cup tie against Swansea City, attempting to retrieve a ball Morgan was shielding. The Belgian was sent off, the footage went viral, and Morgan’s name spread far beyond South Wales overnight. Hazard later said he apologised in the dressing room, adding: “The ball boy came in the changing room and we had a quick chat. I apologised and the boy apologised as well, and it is over. Sorry.”

Now 31, Morgan has channelled that notoriety into a business career of a very different kind. In 2015, he co-founded Au Vodka in Swansea alongside business partner Jackson Quinn, building the brand around its distinctive gold bottles, celebrity endorsements from the likes of Floyd Mayweather and Ronaldinho, and rapid expansion following investment from DJ Charlie Sloth.

Reuters reported the Sazerac acquisition at approximately £300m, though the exact financial terms have not been publicly disclosed. Au Vodka had previously been valued at around £150m, with Morgan and Quinn each estimated to hold personal net worths of roughly £75m.

The brand now employs more than 80 people in South Wales. Sazerac chief executive Jake Wenz praised the founders on completing the deal: “Au Vodka is a brand we’ve long admired. What Charlie, Jackson, and Charlie have achieved in just over a decade is spectacular and rare, and we have big plans for Au as we welcome the brand into the Sazerac family.”

Wenz added that the acquisition would strengthen Sazerac’s presence in the UK while providing Au Vodka with “a path for continued global growth.”

Morgan and Quinn have spoken publicly about launching the company with “nothing but an idea and a belief that vodka didn’t have to be boring.” Morgan said in a statement: “We are proud to have built it into one of the most disruptive brands of this generation. With Sazerac, Au can be offered to more people, in more markets, faster than we ever could alone.”

Au Vodka now joins a Sazerac portfolio of more than 500 drinks brands, including BuzzBallz and Southern Comfort.