Faiq Bolkiah dethroned Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo to own the title of the 'richest footballer in the world'.
Faiq Bolkiah has remained on top of the football rich-list leaving many to wonder just how much he has to be able to knock off football heavyweight Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo from owning the top spot.
Without a doubt, Faiq Bolkiah is in fact the richest footballer in the world.
Bolkiah isn’t always in the headlines for his performances on the pitch, but he easily walks into the sports money conversations due to the staggering amount of wealth that surrounds him.
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In this article, Pulse Sports will reveal details about Faiq Bolkiah, the world’s richest football player in 2023.
Faiq Bolkiah: 15 untold facts you need to know about world’s richest footballer
1. Who is Faiq Bolkiah?
Faiq ibni Jefri Bolkiah (born 9 May 1998) is a member of the Bruneian Royal Family and a professional footballer who plays as a winger for Ratchaburi in Thai League 1.
As a member of the royal family, Faiq Bolkiah has access to vast wealth and resources.
However, he has chosen to forge his own path in the world of football and has dedicated himself to the sport.
2. Faiq Bolkiah Age
Faiq Bolkiah was born on May 8, 1999, in Los Angeles, United States, to Jefri Bolkiah, Prince of Brunei and nephew of Hassanal Bolkiah, the current Sultan of Brunei.
Details of his mother’s identity remain unknown, although, reports suggest his mother may be an American due to his birthplace.
As of September 2023, Faiq Bolkiah is 25 years old.
3. He is of dual citizenship
Faiq Bolkiah currently possesses dual citizenship as he holds both Bruneian and American citizenship.
Although, he grew in the United Kingdom and was educated in Great Britain at Bradfield College.
4. He has played for 3 teams in Premier League
Faiq Bolkiah began his football career at a young age, displaying immense potential and natural ability.
He developed his skills through series of training and played for various youth academies, including the Arsenal Academy in England.
In 2009, while as a member of A.F.C. Newbury, Bolkiah signed a one-year deal with the Southampton F.C. Academy.
According to Wikipedia, he was with Southampton until at least December 2011.
In 2014, Bolkiah signed a two-year youth contract with Chelsea of the Premier League after previously training with Reading and trialing with Arsenal.
During his time with Arsenal, Bolkiah competed in the 2013 Lion City Cup against Corinthians, Eintracht Frankfurt, PSV Eindhoven, and a Singapore youth selection.
He scored a goal in a 2–1 victory over the team from Singapore.
With his contract with Chelsea set to expire in summer 2016, he left the Blues in December 2015.
After a trial with Stoke City, he signed for Leicester City in March 2016, on a reported three-year professional contract.
He further signed a one-year extension to his deal in the summer of 2019 and left the club the following year to join Portuguese side Martimo where he played for their B team.
5. Faiq Bolkiah height
Faiq Bolkiah is 5ft 9 inches (1.75m) tall.
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6. Faiq Bolkiah Net Worth
Pulse Sports reported that Faiq Bolkiah is the richest footballer in the world in 2023.
Bolkiah is estimated to have a net worth of an incredible $20 billion USD.
How is Faik Bolkiah extremely rich?
Faiq is filthy rich just by being a member of the royal family.
The Bruneian Royal Family is one of the most respected and influential families in the world.
His father Jefri, is extremely rich and affluent having once served as the finance minister of the oil-rich Brunei.
Jefri is the brother of oil tycoon Hassanal Bolkiah, making Faiq a member of Brunei’s royal family and one of the heirs to the sultan’s fortune.
Naturally, such status in a small nation has propelled him into the limelight.
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7. Faiq Bolkiah Social Media
Faiq Bolkiah is on social media and has been known to be very active on Instagram.
As of September 2023, he has more than 243,000 followers on his Instagram account where he posts about his football career as well as his rich lifestyle when he’s not on the pitch.
He has a TikTok account where he has more than 16K followers and he does not have an account on the X platform.
8. He is the captain of Brunei
Faiq Bolkiah is currently the captain of the Brunie national team having been eligible to represent the United States and Brunei.
Bolkiah was scouted for the youth teams of the United States but chose to represent Brunei at international level, doing so for their U19 and U23 teams.
Bolkiah also featured at the 2015 Southeast Asian Games.
In that tournament, he scored in a 1–2 defeat to Timor Leste.
He made his senior debut for Brunei on 15 October 2016 in a 2016 AFF Championship qualification match against Timor-Leste, where he started and played the full 90 minutes as they recorded a 2-1 victory.
9. His father reportedly spent £10billion in 15-years as head of the Brunei Investment agency
As mentioned earlier, Jefri Bolkiah is extremely wealthy, so it should not come as a surprise, seeing the figures he has lavished so far as a crown prince of Brunei.
For starters, Jefri is said to have once splashed around £5million on a rug that was woven with gold thread and jewels.
Jefri Bolkiah reportedly spent roughly around £10billion in 15-years as head of the Brunei Investment agency.
At one point, he was rumoured to be spending £35 million every month on new cars and jewelry.
Jefri was also believed to have owned 2,300 cars at the height of his wealth, including a fleet of Bentleys, Ferraris and Rolls-Royces.
He also owns an erotic-themed yacht which is inappropriately called ‘Tits’.
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10. His father invited Michael Jackson to celebrate his 50th birthday
According to reports, Jefri Bolkiah has famously had invited late pop star Michael Jackson to his grand party to commemorate his milestone 50th birthday and win over his son, who was 7 at the time.
Michael Jackson is said to have been paid approximately £12.5 million by the Prince to perform a private concert for his son.
11. His parents have been highly supportive of his football career
Faiq Bolkiah once revealed in an interview that his parents were highly supportive of his career as a footballer.
In a rare 2017 interview with FourFourTwo, Faiq said: "I've played football since as early as I can remember, and from a young age, I've always enjoyed going out on the field and having the ball at my feet.
"My parents have always been supportive in helping me to achieve my dreams of being a footballer, and they trained me hard both psychologically and physically through my childhood years, so I have to say they are my role models."
12. He has a twin sister
Interestingly, Faiq Bolkiah reportedly has a twin sister named Qiana Bolkiah.
The pair currently follow each other on Instagram.
Faiq is also said to have other blood siblings and half siblings who are not yet known.
13. Faiq Bolkiah Religion
Despite growing up in the UK, Faiq Bolkiah is a Muslim by religion.
Brunei is a country that is dominated by believers who practice Sunni Islam, the official religion of the Royal Family,
14. He owns a pet Tiger
Faiq Bolkiah’s love for cats is highlighted by his pet Tiger.
Yes, You heard right. Bolkiah has had the tiger with him since it was a cub.
15. He is 40 times richer than Ronaldo and 30 times richer than Messi
Faiq Bolkiah’s incredible net worth absolutely dwarfs the net worths of the greatest footballers of the modern era - Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi.
As of September 2023, his £20billion net worth greatly surpasses the net worths of both players as it is at least 40 times more than Cristiano Ronaldo’s (£500million) and 30 times more than Lionel Messi’s (£600million).