Swansea ball-boy kicked by Eden Hazard named on UK’s 35 richest under 35 list
Five sportsmen have made the Sunday Times list of the UK’s richest people under 35, though Tottenham talisman Harry Kane’s wealth has been enhanced by a former Swansea batboy who was once infamously kicked by Eden Hazard.
The updated financial power list was unveiled today and estimates the worth of the 350 richest people in the country. Unsurprisingly, thanks to the outrageous pay packages available in the sport, a good number of notable athletes have made it.
Rory McIlroy, Anthony Joshua, Gareth Bale, Raheem Sterling and Kane, firmly ensconced among the elite due to their sporting success, are all on the lucrative list.
McIlroy has boasted £60 million in fairway earnings and has secured a host of sponsorship deals with the likes of Nike. Last year, he also set up a tech-focused company with Tiger Woods, with the venture sure to add to his £200 million net worth.
Five spots below McIlroy’s eighth-place finish is heavyweight superstar Joshua.
Former Swansea ballboy Charlie Morgan (pictured left) is worth an estimated £55 million
A number of sportsmen including Anthony Joshua are on the last 35 richest U35 list
Golfer Rory McIlroy also made the cut, thanks in part to a number of sponsorship deals
Despite two losses at the hands of Oleksandr Usyk, Joshua’s winning potential has not been compromised. His social media influence has even allowed him to complete deals with Hugo Boss and Jaguar, netting him a fortune of £150 million.
Joshua also admitted that there is a “school of thought” that he should be a billionaire.
22nd on the list is the now retired Bale. The veteran striker opted to hang up his boots earlier this year after enjoying spells at Southampton, Tottenham and Real Madrid, with the latter club reportedly paying him as much as £600,000 a week.
It is therefore no surprise that the former Wales international is worth a total of £70 million.
Only one spot below Bale is Chelsea’s Sterling. Also an England regular, the winger is reported to be taking home £325,000 each week for plying his trade at Stamford Bridge, and his earnings are supplemented by endorsements from New Balance.
The 28-year-old has also set up a real estate company with his fiancé, Paige Milian.
Gareth Bale, who retired from football earlier this year, is said to be worth a total of £70 million
Chelsea’s Raheem Sterling is on the list, with his wages supplemented by endorsements
Tottenham talisman Harry Kane’s wealth is estimated to be a whopping £51 million
Meanwhile, Charlie Morgan ranks 27th. Once a humble ball boy in Swansea, Morgan is now worth millions after launching a premium vodka brand with his college friend.
Ten years ago, Morgan was kicked in the ribs by Hazard after appearing to be on the ball to prevent it from being put into play. After lashing out in full view of the crowd, Hazard was sent off and Swansea progressed to the League Cup Final.
Three years later, Morgan, the son of a hotelier, entered the business world. Sales of AU Vodka, a fixture in bars and clubs, reached £43.9m in 2021-22.
The luxury vodka brand was founded in 2015 and has become one of the most prominent drinks in influencer circles.
The company gained massive traction earlier this year after Jake Paul was challenged to get a blue raspberry bottle tattoo on his right arm in exchange for £206,000.
Paul duly accepted the challenge and a video was posted to YouTube showing him on a rooftop in Dubai sipping the drink in question while a tattoo artist designs Paul’s right arm.
Soon after, more than 100 people lined up outside AU Vodka’s Swansea headquarters after the company promised to tattoo them with bottles of their branded drink in exchange for £250.
Morgan’s £55 million fortune sees him finish ahead of Kane on the list. Tottenham’s talisman is worth £51 million and has also put together a £13 million property portfolio.
Musicians Ed Sheeran, Adele and Harry Styles, meanwhile, are among the richest people in the UK, with all three having fortunes in excess of £150 million.
Influencer and boxer Jake Paul got a tattoo of the AU Vodka bottle on his right arm ahead of his fight with Tommy Fury at the start of the calendar year
Morgan (right) founded a vodka brand years after being kicked out in a cup match by Eden Hazard
At the very top of the list is the Duke of Westminster, Hugh Richard Louis Grosvenor, who inherited his title and a portfolio of land and property at the age of 25.
He is now 32 and his and his family’s total wealth is estimated to be around £9.878 billion.
The ranking also includes a number of self-made millionaires, with Gymshark co-founder and CEO Ben Francis building a fortune of £900 million in just over a decade.
Overall, the combined wealth of British billionaires is £683.856 billion, an increase of £30.734 billion, or 4.5 percent, over the total wealth of billionaires from last year’s list.