Swansea Ballboy Kicked In The Ribs By Chelsea Star Is The Heir To £42m Hotel Fortune…He Had Boasted About Time-Wasting Before The Game

The ballboy who sprang to national fame last night [Jan. 23] following his brush with Chelsea player Eden Hazard is the heir to a £42million fortune, it emerged today.

Charlie Morgan, 17, is the son of hotel and property tycoon Martin Morgan, said to be the 32nd richest person in Wales. Mr Morgan is on the Swansea City board of directors - which is how Charlie ended up as a ballboy for yesterday's League Cup semi-final against the London side.

Charlie Morgan had boasted about timewasting on the Twitter before the match. Posting on Twitter before the game, the teenager wrote: ‘The king of all ballboys is back making his final appearance #needed #for #timewasting’.

Charlie's father is the director of 11 hotel and property companies and has featured in recent editions of the Sunday Times Rich List.

Mr Morgan comes in at number 32 in the top 100 list for Wales - ahead of Premier League footballers Michael Owen and Ryan Giggs and 80s rock chick Bonnie Tyler.

Ben Watkins, 18, a former school friend of Charlie's, said:

'He must be the richest ballboy in football. 'He's mad about Swansea City - what he did was a bit foolish especially after he boasted he was going to time waste. I guess he's been a bit spoiled because his dad's got pots of money’.

In posts on Twitter Charlie brags about drinking Veuve Clicquot champagne and going on holiday to Las Vegas and Dubai.

During last night's game, £170,000-a-week Chelsea star Hazard was trying to regain the ball when it went out of play late in the game with the club facing a League Cup exit at the hands of Swansea.

He apparently became infuriated when the boy fell to the ground, landed on the ball and smothered it - costing Chelsea valuable seconds.

Hazard tried to kick it from under the teenager but caught him in the ribs before he finally grabbed the ball and ran off. 

Travelling in style: Charlie put up this picture of himself in Virgin Atlantic's upper class

Destination: The teenager on holiday in Las Vegas, in another picture he posted to Twitter

Several Chelsea players went to tend to the ballboy, left holding his ribs.

The footballer was widely criticised over the incident, but some people blamed Charlie for the encounter after it emerged he had boasted that he planned to waste time during the match.

After the controversial tweet about 'timewasting', he added: ‘Haven’t been doing it this season been ask to come back to run them because the person can’t come in cos of the snow.’

The college student was examined by medics in an ambulance but was not seriously injured. Although police interviewed Charlie in the presence of his father, the family did not choose to press charges, and they were invited into the Chelsea dressing room where both the teenager and Hazard apologised for their role in the fracas.

Hazard told Chelsea TV after the game:

'The boy put his whole body onto the ball and I was just trying to kick the ball and I think I kicked the ball and not the boy. I apologise.

'The ballboy came in the changing room and we had a quick chat and I apologised and the boy apologised as well, and it is over. Sorry.'

Former Chelsea and England manager Glenn Hoddle sympathised with Hazard and claimed managers often instruct ballboys to waste time. He told Sky Sports: ‘As a manager, if you’ve got ballboys, you will tell people instructing the ballboys that if you’re winning the game, don’t give the ball back quickly.’

Chelsea manager Rafael Benitez said that Hazard's actions would be dealt with internally by the club.

He said:

'The ballboy has been in the dressing room talking with Hazard and they have apologised to each other. They know they were wrong, that's it.

'He was wasting time, Hazard was frustrated, he wanted to get the ball back quickly so they have both made a mistake and we cannot say too much.

'We will deal with this internally. We will analyse and wait to see if there is any action from the FA.'

- Daily Mail