Former Chelsea star Eden Hazard has explained why his infamous sending off for kicking a Swansea ballboy in 2013 played into his hands after he received a three-match ban over the incident.
Hazard was involved in a fiery moment during the League Cup semi-final second leg – which saw Chelsea 2-0 down on aggregate – at the Liberty Stadium when ballboy Charlie Morgan tried to hold on to the ball to run down the clock – as his side looked to reach the final.
As the Belgian attempted to hook the ball out his arms, appearing to kick him in the process, he was given his marching orders by referee Chris Foy to cap off a night to forget for Chelsea.
Hazard – who retired from football in October after leaving Real Madrid – has since re-united worth Morgan, who is now a successful businessman worth over £40million thanks to his vodka empire.
Reflecting on the moment while speaking to ex-team-mate John Obi Mikel on the Obi One podcast, Hazard revealed the red card was a good thing for him.
Eden Hazard has revealed why his infamous red card for kicking a ballboy in 2013 ended up working in his favour
Earlier this year Hazard reunited with ball boy, Charlie Morgan, who is now worth more than £40m thanks to his vodka empire
When asked if it was a bad moment for him, Hazard said it actually came at the perfect time because his wife was about to have a baby.
‘No, not at all because after that game I came back home – saying to myself, “this guy is just staying on the ball and I just tried to kick the ball”, and then I get a red card?’ He began.
‘The funny story is my wife was just pregnant and the baby was coming now – that day. So me? Getting the red card? Three games out? Perfect. That’s the reality. Perfect holiday, thank you guys!’
Mikel was then sent into fits of laughter as Hazard insisted the kicking incident was not intentional.
‘They’re going to think I did it on purpose, but not at all,’ he added. ‘It’s a bit like when you play on the street. Someone is on the ball? “Hey, give me the ball man.”
‘The funny thing is I met him last week and we just had a chat, in Madrid.’
That chat between the pair saw Hazard and Morgan pose while taking pictures and holding up glasses of Morgan’s blue raspberry vodka.
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 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 as the former Swansea ball boy watched on in the distance.
Elsewhere on the podcast, Hazard also spoke out about his weight during his career and revealed how he would return from pre-season overweight every year after rumours he would often arrive out of shape.
‘It was true,’ Hazared said. ‘But me, every summer I was putting on four or five kilos because I was thinking you give so much for 10 months, you put your body at the highest level and people kick you, so your time off is your time off.
‘Don’t ask me to do anything. I enjoy being with my family, going to the beach, so don’t ask me to run in those three or four weeks. I can play football on the beach with my kids, no problem, but don’t ask me to run.
‘But if you look throughout my career, the first month [of the season] is the bit where I was thinking it’s just the beginning, and then from September and October I was flying, because I needed time to put my body and mind in the best way.
‘So yes, it’s true, I came back after holidays with five kilos, I knew it.
‘As a Belgian guy, we love beers because my country has the best beers in the world, so I’m not telling you I used to drink every day because it’s not true, but sometimes after a good game, one or two is nice.’
Hazard’s seven years of success at Chelsea saw the Blues win two Premier League titles, one FA Cup, two League Cups and two Europa League trophies.
Eden Hazard was speaking on the Obi One Podcast.
