Welcome to the brutal realities of English football Eden Hazard.

Last summer, when arguably Europe's most talented youngster was bought by Chelsea for $50 million, the future looked so bright.

The newly crowned European champions made a blistering start to the English Premier League season, with the Belgian the focal point for Chelsea as they wowed critics and fans alike with some wonderfully inventive football.

Fast forward six months and the 22-year-old Hazard, who earns a reported $270,000 a week, was reduced to kicking a ball boy as Chelsea's season took another turn for the worse.

It had been a frustrating night for Hazard.

For more than an hour he had tried but failed to get his team Chelsea out of a big hole as the London team desperately attempted to turn their season round in a cup match against Welsh side Swansea City.

But when a 17-year-old ball boy decided it was time to engage in some time wasting -- he lay on the ball after it had gone out of play -- the red mist descended over Hazard

The Belgian, whose modus operandi as a player is more sumptuous flicks and stepovers than sly skullduggery, aimed a kick at the youngster's midriff.

Cue bedlam.

Hazard, who had previously never been sent off in his professional career, was red carded by the referee, South Wales Police briefly contemplated pressing charges and Chelsea -- not for the first time this season -- were facing a public relations disaster of their own making.

"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," Hazard told the Chelsea website. "I apologize.

"The ball boy came in the changing room and we had a quick chat and I apologized and the boy apologized as well, and it is over. Sorry."

Too late. The British media and social media website Twitter had already gone into overdrive.

"Football's fresh shame," was the verdict of the Daily Mail -- a reference to English football's continuing ability to attract the wrong headlines -- while Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand tweeted: "I'm not the authorities but in my eyes it's a red for all those asking. Us players do put refs in bad spots at times unfortunately!"

Immediately after the sending off, Hazard did find support -- from Chelsea's official Twitter account.

"Has football gone mad? Hazard is sent off for kicking the ball under a ball boy attempting to smother the ball rather than return it," the club wrote on the account, which has over 1.79 million followers.

However, Chelsea quickly sent a more diplomatic tweet: "Apologies for earlier ballboy tweet. Hazard has now met with the ballboy and has said sorry."

If initially Hazard was condemned for actions, he also won plenty of support, with the ball boy -- reported by the British media to be the son of millionaire businessman who sits on the Swansea board -- coming in for plenty of criticism.

"After reviewing last nights footage, I've come to the conclusion that the games gone," tweeted Marseille midfielder Joey Barton, who has nearly 2 million Twitter followers.

"Ballboys aged 17, time wasting, then rollin round like .. they've been shot. Games gone. He was actually claiming to be best time waster in the world on twitter yesterday! What's that all about? ... Hazard only crime is he hasn't kicked him hard enough."