Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, two of the highest-earning footballers in recent times, have a combined net worth that pales in comparison to one former Chelsea player. Both Messi and Ronaldo have had stellar careers, with Messi, 37, winning numerous trophies with Barcelona, PSG and Inter Miami, and Ronaldo making his mark at Real Madrid, Manchester United, Juventus and Al-Nassr.
Messi, who boasts eight Ballon d’Ors, 12 league titles, four Champions Leagues and a World Cup, has an estimated net worth of around £680million ($850m), according to Celebrity Net Worth. Ronaldo, on the other hand, with five Ballon d’Ors and seven league titles, is believed to be worth around £640m ($800m).
However, even when their wealth is combined to total £1.32billion, it doesn’t come close to the reported £16billion ($20bn) net worth of Faiq Bolkiah – a staggering 12 times more than Messi and Ronaldo’s combined wealth. But who exactly is this 26 year old billionaire who didn’t make the cut in the Premier League?
The Sultan of Brunei’s nephew, an heir to a staggering £200bn fortune, Faiq Bolkiah has had quite the journey in football. Born in Los Angeles, he started his career at Newbury and then moved through the youth ranks of Southampton, Chelsea, and Leicester City without making a senior appearance.
In 2020, he signed his first professional contract with Maritimo but only played once for their U23s before heading to Thailand’s Chonburi FC. At Chonburi, Bolkiah racked up 32 appearances, netted two goals, and provided four assists, reports the Mirror.
He transferred to Ratchaburi in 2023, where he continues to play. A dual citizen of America and Brunei, Bolkiah has represented Brunei internationally six times, scoring once.
Despite not breaking into the Premier League, he shared the field with Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Tammy Abraham in Chelsea’s youth teams. His former teammate Ruben Sammut told The Athletic: “You would never ever have thought he was something like the 12th in line to the throne. You would not have thought of him as royalty. He was a humble guy, trying every day like every academy player. We used to joke he didn’t need to play football but he wanted to play because he loved football.
“It wasn’t a regular thing we mentioned. It was that typical banter, saying he is royalty, saying, ‘what’s he doing playing with us? ‘ But we all knew deep down how much he wanted to play, so it was more good-willed passing comments.”
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