Faiq Bolkiah: World's richest footballer 'shining' at new club after Premier League snubs

Faiq Bolkiah doesn’t need to play football. It’s easy to think it’s just a hobby for him.

If you haven’t heard about Bolkiah, he’s without doubt one of the most interesting players in the game right now.

That’s not due to his on-pitch success. The 23-year-old hasn’t achieved much in the game, aside from six international appearances for Brunei.

Instead it’s Bolkiah’s family that have propelled him into the spotlight and made him the subject of interest from the media and football fans.

Bolkiah is the nephew of Hassanal Bolkiah, the Sultan of Brunei. So wealthy is Hassanal that he has 500 Rolls-Royces and regularly spends $20,000 just to get his hair cut, according to a 2019 article by the Insider.

Hassanal was once the richest man in the world, worth as much as $40 billion, and Faiq is one of the heirs to the family’s fortune.

Bolkiah has met the Queen and according to the Mirror, his father Jefri reportedly flew Michael Jackson in to perform a private concert at his seventh birthday party.

Bolkiah has tried to forge a successful career in football and his list of former clubs includes Premier League teams Southampton, Chelsea and Leicester City, while he also had a trial at Arsenal.

The midfielder spent four year at Leicester but failed to make a first-team appearance for the Foxes.

In 2020, he signed for Portuguese outfit Maritimo but was released after just one year.

Bolkiah then headed to Thailand, signing for Chonburi FC last December, and it seems like he’s finally found his level.

The United States-born player has earned praise from the media after a string of fine performances for Chonburi. In his first 10 appearances, he had three assists and was named man of the match twice.

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