Former Swansea Ballboy Charlie Morgan Poised to Sell Au Vodka Empire for £500 Million

A former Swansea City ballboy who once found himself at the centre of a controversial Premier League incident involving Eden Hazard is now on the verge of a life-changing business deal. Charlie Morgan, the teenager who was kicked by the Chelsea star during a 2013 League Cup match, is in advanced talks to sell his vodka brand Au Vodka for around £500 million, thirteen years after the episode that briefly made him a global talking point.

Morgan, now 30, co-founded the premium spirits company with school friend Jackson Quinn in 2015. According to reports from Sky, the pair are negotiating a possible sale to the American drinks giant Sazerac Company. If completed, the transaction would represent a remarkable trajectory from a modest start in Swansea to a multi-million-pound exit. Each founder is understood to be in line for approximately £100 million, and both may retain roles within the business after the deal.

From Ballboy Controversy to Business Success

The 2013 incident remains the moment most football fans still associate with Morgan’s name. During a League Cup tie, the then-teenage ballboy collected the ball and lay on it in a manner that appeared designed to waste time. Hazard, attempting to retrieve possession quickly, kicked out at him. The Belgian was shown a red card, and the episode divided opinion among supporters worldwide. Some viewed the ballboy’s actions as gamesmanship; others felt the reaction from a senior professional was excessive. The footage circulated widely at the time, placing both figures under intense scrutiny.

More than a decade later, that chapter has been closed in public fashion. Two years ago the pair reunited for a promotional campaign that generated fresh interest across the football community. Hazard and Morgan appeared together in a photoshoot for Au Vodka. The retired Chelsea forward posted images on social media showing them holding glasses of blue raspberry flavour and examining a chessboard arranged with bottles of the spirit. “A nice thing about retirement is catching up with old friends. You have come a long way in 11 years my friend,” Hazard wrote, tagging Morgan and the brand.

Rapid Growth and a Distinctive Headquarters

Au Vodka has expanded dramatically since its launch. The company now sells more than 35,000 bottles of its premium spirit each day. Its visual identity centres on distinctive gold packaging, a theme that has been carried through to the firm’s latest headquarters in Swansea. The new offices feature a gold exterior, gold ceiling, gold café and matching signage, creating an environment that mirrors the product itself.

Morgan marked the relocation on LinkedIn with a reflective post outlining the brand’s journey. He recalled the first office, a 250-square-foot space that barely accommodated himself, Quinn and a 16-year-old called Jordan Major who packed orders. The business then spent five years in an industrial unit in Swansea, during which the team grew to 96 people and a mezzanine floor was added four times to create extra capacity. “Today we’ve moved into our new home – a fully gold HQ which really represents Au and what we stand for,” he wrote.

The decision to remain in Swansea has been noted positively by local supporters of the brand. One commenter praised Morgan for staying “true” by keeping the company in its home city rather than relocating to a larger commercial centre. High-profile endorsements have also helped raise the product’s profile. Brazilian football legend Ronaldinho and former boxing champion Floyd Mayweather are among the celebrities who have publicly backed Au Vodka.

Negotiations with Sazerac Near Conclusion

Reports indicate that discussions with Sazerac have been under way for several months and that an agreement is close. The American company is understood to be keen to strengthen its presence in the British market. Legal representation for the talks involves the firm Forsey on Sazerac’s side and DLA Piper acting for Au Vodka. Should the sale proceed, it would mark one of the more striking success stories to emerge from the intersection of football culture and entrepreneurial ambition in recent years.

Morgan’s path from the Liberty Stadium touchline to the brink of a £500 million transaction illustrates how a single widely publicised moment can sit alongside a completely separate professional achievement. While the 2013 red-card incident remains a footnote in Hazard’s career and a brief chapter in Morgan’s youth, the vodka business has become the defining project of his adult life. The gold-themed headquarters, the daily sales volume and the interest from a major international drinks group all point to a company that has scaled rapidly from its small Swansea beginnings.

For those who remember the original footage of a teenager lying on a football and a frustrated Chelsea attacker reacting in the heat of a cup tie, the contrast with the present situation is stark. Morgan has moved far beyond that afternoon. Whether or not he and Quinn ultimately complete the deal with Sazerac, the growth of Au Vodka already stands as a substantial commercial accomplishment. The possible nine-figure sums attached to each founder’s share underline how completely the narrative has shifted in the intervening thirteen years.

As negotiations continue, attention remains fixed on whether the Swansea-based brand will pass into American ownership while retaining its distinctive identity and local roots. For Charlie Morgan, the former ballboy once caught in the middle of a heated Premier League moment, the prospect of a £500 million sale represents the culmination of a decade of building a business that now operates on an entirely different scale.