Eden Hazard reunites with Swansea ballboy he infamously kicked

Eden Hazard has reunited with the ball boy he kicked over 10 years ago, who is now worth over £40million thanks to his vodka empire.

Back in 2013, Charlie Morgan became an overnight sensation after he was involved in an altercation with the Belgium forward during Chelsea's league cup match against Swansea back in 2013.

The forward had appeared to kick the ball boy as tempers flared during their League Cup semi-final match against Swansea. Hazard was subsequently sent off for the incident.

But it appears the pair have put their previous history behind them and appeared in a photoshoot today to promote Morgan's alcoholic drinks brand Au Vodka.

Hazard posted several photos on his social media accounts, posing with Morgan while holding a blue drink.

He wrote on X (formerly Twitter): 'A nice thing about retirement is catching up with old friends. You have come a long in way in 11 years my friend @charliem0rgan, @auvodka x @hazardeden10'

Hazard a posted several other pictures on his Instagram account, showing the two looking at a chess board that had several bottles of AU Vodka on it.

They were also seen driving a golf buggy together around a golf course, with Hazard posting a picture of himself lining up a putt, with the former Swansea ball boy watching on in the distance.

His former team-mate John Terry also replied to the Instagram post with three laughing face emojis.

Chelsea had come into the match 2-0 down and tensions were high at the Liberty Stadium, with Michael Laudrup's side holding out to seal a 0-0 draw in the second leg of the semi-final and book their place at Wembley.

But as the clock ticked into the last 10 minutes of the match, the Blues were left desperately chasing a goal. The ball appeared to go out of play with Morgan collecting it, but didn't give it to Hazard, who was eager to restart the match, perhaps as quickly as the Chelsea forward wanted.

Seeming to hold onto the ball to take some seconds out of the match, Hazard attempted to grab the ball from him, with the ball boy, who was 17 at the time, falling to the ground. Hazard attempted to kick the ball out from underneath him, but appeared to make contact with Morgan, who was seen holding his abdomen looking in some discomfort afterwards.

Referee Chris Foy subsequently gave Hazard his marching orders, with Morgan becoming a sensation overnight.

Since then, Morgan has gone on to become a very successful businessman, founding the alcoholic drinks brand AU Vodka alongside his friend Jackson Quinn in 2016.

The beverage was at first only sold to local bars in Swansea but the pair have gone worldwide. Production has increased to over 35,000 units per day, with the brand being recognised by it's trademark gold bottles.

In 2022, he was also named in the Sunday Times' Rich List, with AU Vodka having been endorsed by well-known stars including Floyd Mayweather and Ronaldinho. It has also been backed by radio DJ Charlie Sloth.

Speaking to WalesOnline back in 2021, Morgan recounted how 'crazy' it was to see such big names endorse AU Vodka.

'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 flavour,' he said.

'We were asked whether he could have few bottles before he goes home.

'We said yeah, OK sure, and Floyd said he would post a photo on Instagram as long as we included him when we do something big in America.

'Back years ago we were asking ourselves, who would be the best ambassador we could have holding 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 crazy.'

Swansea ultimately went on to win the EFL Cup beating Bradford in the final 5-0, while Hazard would leave Chelsea in 2019 for Real Madrid.

Last year, Hazard announced that he would be retiring from professional football after being released from Real Madrid, stating that he was looking forward to spending time with his loved ones and 'having new experiences'.