Swansea City, Chelsea incident will never be forgotten and led to shock 2024 reunion | OneFootball

Eden Hazard kicked a Swansea City ball boy in a League Cup semi-final back in January 2013

The 23rd January 2013 will go down as a memorable night for Swansea City supporters as they reached their first ever final of a major tournament, but for some people it will be remembered for all the wrong reasons.

Swansea hosted Chelsea in the second-leg of a League Cup semi-final, and while the game itself was largely a forgettable one with the score finishing 0-0, it provided one of the most memorable yet bizarre moments in recent history.

The hosts were 2-0 up on aggregate after a smash and grab win on the road at Stamford Bridge, and took every opportunity to slow the game down to ensure Chelsea, who were European champions at the time, couldn't get into their stride and cut the deficit.

It led to things boiling over with ten minutes left, and Chelsea's Eden Hazard was shown a red card for kicking a Swansea ball boy, a truly incredible way to get sent off, and it ended all hope of his side getting back into the game.

Eden Hazard kicking a Swansea ball boy will never be forgotten

Chelsea were 2-0 down on aggregate with just over ten minutes left, so understandably, they were in a hurry to pull a goal back and to make a game of it in the last couple of minutes.

They were on the attack when Cesar Azpilicueta tried to thread a ball through to Hazard which rolled out of play, and Swansea ball boy Charlie Morgan looked to slow the game down.

He ambled over to the ball before appearing to fall on it when an incensed Hazard desperately tried to get it back, and with Morgan lying on the ball, the Chelsea man kicked the ball from underneath him, appearing to catch him in the ribs.

Chaos broke out at the Liberty Stadium, and after a few moments, referee Chris Foy showed Hazard a straight red card.

A player being sent off for kicking the ball boy was something that had never been seen before, and 11 years on it's still remembered by football fans up and down the country, and despite the outstanding career Hazard has had, the ball boy incident might be the first thing some people think of when his name is mentioned.

It's fair to say that Morgan made a bit of a meal out of Hazard's kick, and had boasted on Twitter before the game about being needed to waste time, with Swansea holding a commanding lead going into the second-leg.

He posted: "The king of all ballboys is back making his final appearance #needed #for #timewasting." It was an unsavoury incident which neither party came out well from, and it overshadowed Swansea's achievement of reaching the League Cup final.

It proved a bit of a storm in a teacup, with Swansea stating after the match: "He and his father spoke to police, and they are not pressing charges.

"He's been into the Chelsea dressing room and shook hands with Hazard. John Terry and Frank Lampard were exemplary in welcoming him into the Chelsea dressing room."

Meanwhile, Chelsea boss Rafa Benitez said: "They both recognise there was a mistake. The boy was apologising for time-wasting. Hazard was frustrated and tried to get the ball. He was kicking the ball and getting the ball.

"We can analyse if for half an hour, but we know that both are wrong. We will deal with it internally, that's all I can say."

It was an incident that both Hazard and Morgan undoubtedly regret, but it looks as if the pair have made up and moved on now.

Eden Hazard and Charlie Morgan had unlikely 2024 reunion

In the 11 years that have followed, Morgan has made a name for himself as a businessman, setting up the AU Vodka business which has really taken off in recent years.

It's perhaps not too much of a surprise that Martin Morgan, Charlie's father, is a successful businessman himself and is a director at Swansea City. He currently owns Swansea.com, who sponsor the ground, showing his influence both on the club and in the city.

With Charlie's thriving vodka business, he linked up with Hazard earlier this year to promote his brand, and it was a chance for the pair to put their previous differences behind them 11 years on.

Morgan becoming a multi-millionaire with a thriving vodka business is yet another strange twist to an already bizarre story, and he's now rubbing shoulders with the likes of Hazard, Floyd Mayweather, Jake Paul and Ronaldinho, all of whom have promoted his brand.