Until his rise up the rich list, Charlie Morgan was best known for being the unfortunate teenager that was kicked by Eden Hazard back in 2013. Now 27 years old, the former Swansea City ball boy has helped to build up a hugely successful vodka brand, contributing to a personal net worth which dwarfs even that of England captain Harry Kane.
Chelsea were up against it in the second leg of their Carabao Cup semi-final a decade ago. Swansea were two goals up after notching a win at Stamford Bridge, and with time running out back in South Wales, Hazard's frustration boiled over.
After Morgan, who was 17 at the time, appeared to delay handing the ball over to the Belgian, Hazard responded by trying to kick it from under him, but caught the youngster in the ribs and was swiftly sent off by referee Chris Foy.
Hazard was banned for three games and Swansea went on to win the cup final with a win over Bradford City. Morgan, meanwhile, may already have been plotting his business empire.
Along with childhood friend Jackson Quinn, Morgan co-founded AU Vodka two years after the Hazard incident, and it has since grown into a hugely successful brand.
With celebrity endorsements from the likes of Floyd Mayweather, Ronaldinho and Jake Paul, who even has a tattoo of an AU Vodka bottle on his right arm, annual sales of the glitzy beverage shot up to a whopping £43.9million by 2022.
Incredibly, Morgan now finds himself 27th on The Times' '35 richest people under 35 in the UK' rich list, with an eye-watering personal fortune of £55m. Even Tottenham and England striker Kane, who has proven himself to be one of the finest footballers of his generation, can't compete with that.
Kane is believed to bank a huge £200,000 a week at Spurs, and as the money piles up, he has reportedly put together a £13m property portfolio. The 29-year-old sits 32nd on the list, five places behind Morgan and Quinn.
While the alcohol magnates are now wealthier than some of the richest athletes in the UK, it is unclear whether their net worths top Hazard's as the Belgian, who currently lives in Spain, does not feature on the list.
The former Lille youth prospect left Chelsea for Real Madrid in 2019, and although the move has panned out disastrously, he continues to bank a monstrous wage of £380,000 a week with more than a year remaining on his contract.
