Faiq Bolkiah: net worth, religion, father, girlfriend, biography, lifestyle, salary

Sitting atop the wealthiest football players in the world list is an obscure but omnipresent name: Faiq Bolkiah. Why not Messi or Ronaldo, two of sports' greatest icons? This page covers Faiq Bolkiah's net worth, salary, religion, biography, girlfriend, father, and all you need to know about football's richest player.

Biography: Who is Faiq Bolkiah?

Faiq Jefri Bolkiah is the son of Prince Jefri Bolkiah, the brother of Hassanal Bolkiah, the current Sultan of Brunei. The uncle was the wealthiest man in the world in 1997, according to Forbes, and is said to be worth between $17.6 and $20 billion. Faiq Bolkiah and his family adhere to the Islamic religion.

The Bolkiah family is said to own a fleet of expensive automobiles, with Rolls-Royce alone, one of the most expensive car brands, accounting for almost 600 vehicles.

Born in Los Angeles on May 9, 1998, Faiq Bolkiah has dual citizenship with Brunei and the United States. Along with his cousin Ukasyah, the son of former NBA player Dennis Wallace, he attended Thorngrove Preparatory School in Highler, close to Newbury, England.

Although his education in England was meant to help him assimilate into European culture, he instead developed a passion for football. Due to his father's opulent lifestyle, Faiq Bolkiah's childhood would have turned out very differently had he grown up in Brunei.

Jefri reportedly spends approximately £1 million a month partying with ladies and even paid Michael Jackson $17 million to perform at his 50th birthday party.

Faiq Bolkiah playing career

Newbury

Faiq Bolkiah's football career began in England at the Newberry youth training camp, where he left a favourable impression on Coach Paul Morgan of Newbury's youth side, who said in an interview: "When they filled out the documents to be admitted to the academy, Faik's representatives had to indicate their place of residence.

"They entered a residence built on the former site of the Hollington House Hotel. His family just purchased the hotel and transformed it into a residence. It was extremely apparent. It was evident from the beginning that they were linked to the royal family of Brunei. 

"However, these men were well-prepared and courteous. They were not at all haughty. Faiq seemed to be an average youngster."

Southampton and Arsenal

In 2009, Faiq Bolkiah transferred to Southampton, and four years later, he underwent a trial with Arsenal before returning.

His new teammates only learned that he was a member of the royal family from the reactions of the locals on a team visit to Singapore, which made it evident that he was not the average earthling.

Rugare Musendo, a former young player for Arsenal, recalls Faiq's attributes:

"He was an excellent right-footed footballer. He was the team's quickest and most clever member. His playing technique was reminiscent of Theo Walcott's.

"The most incredible thing is that we had no idea he was a prince or whatever. He was a modest individual. Through a visit to Singapore, we learnt about his fortune."

Chelsea

With his performance at the Singapore Youth Trials in 2014, Faiq Bolkiah won a two-year contract with Chelsea and the opportunity to play with talents like Tammy Abraham and Ruben Loftus-Cheek.

Former Chelsea youth player Ruben Sammut was not short on praise for Faiq Bolkiah:

"He was a shy guy who exercised daily. We made fun of the fact that he did not need to do anything since he was already wealthy. 

"We all knew, though, how much he wanted to play football, so we seldom indulged in such jokes."

Leicester

Faiq Bolkiah left Chelsea in 2015 and signed his first deal with Leicester City. His move to the Foxes was motivated by the Srivaddhanaprabha family, Leicester City's Thai owners, who had a good relationship with the Bolkiah royal family.

At the King Power, he spent three years as a reserve, appearing five times in the UEFA Youth League and witnessing the club's 2016 title triumph.

However, Faiq Bolkiah did not receive any preferential treatment on-pitch, eventually leaving England for Maritimo on a free transfer in 2020 without making a senior appearance.

Maritimo

He was welcomed with open arms in Portugal, and Maritimo fullback, Claudio Wink spoke highly of him,

"He came to Portugal seeking opportunity, and I believe he is a very talented player. This individual trains well and strives to improve," said the Brazilian.

"As he is still young, I hope he will have a prosperous future. He is a genuinely modest and diligent individual. We are very close and spend considerable time together. 

"I speak a little bit of English, and his Portuguese is not yet very excellent, but we can communicate. Faiq has everything necessary for a successful career," ended the gaffer. 

While playing for Maritimo, Faiq Bolkiah resided in Madeira, the hometown of football's first billionaire, Cristiano Ronaldo, making only one appearance for the B team before mutually terminating his contract in December 2021.

Brunei national team

Despite being a young player for Tebuan, Faiq has already captained the Brunei national team six times. In 2016, he scored a goal in a 3–2 triumph over Laos.

On the field of play, the family's riches are useless to Bolkiah, who understands that money cannot purchase his goal.

In an interview, he said, "I've played football for as long as I can remember, and I've always liked being on the pitch with the ball at my feet."

Faiq Bolkiah's current club

Faiq Bolkiah is currently a left winger for Chonburi FC in the Thai League as of May 2022, where he wears the number 11. There, on his home continent, he is playing the best football of his professional career, assisting on a handful of goals in over a dozen matches.

After a two-year pursuit, Faiq Bolkiah agreed to play for Chonburi in order to acquire experience as a result of the strong ties between the Thai and Brunei royal families.

Faiq Bolkiah net worth

As one of the legal heirs to the throne of the Sultan of Brunei, Faiq Bolkiah has a net worth of $20 billion (£16 billion), making him the richest footballer in the world. Faiq Bolkiah's net worth is twenty times greater than that of Messi and Ronaldo, two of the richest athletes ever, whose estimated combined value is $1 billion.

Faiq Bolkiah is so wealthy that when he made his under-23 debut for Brunei in Singapore at age 17, the stadium was heavily policed, and he had his own bodyguards.

As an act of imperial majesty, his personal attendants removed the plasters from his feet. However, he lived with the rest of the crew at the hotel.

Why is Faiq Bolkiah so rich?

The Sultan's brother and Faiq Bolkiah's father, Jefri Bolkiah, is the head of the country's investment department. With a number of real estate holdings, the Bolkiah dynasty ranks as the second-richest royal family in the world.

Brunei is a tiny nation on the island of Kalimantan in Southeast Asia, with an area similar to that of the smallest U.S. state, Rhode Island, and a population of less than 400,000. However, due to its abundance of oil and natural gas, the nation is tremendously prosperous.

Due to Sultan Hassanal's dual role as head of state and religious leader in Brunei, which is still effectively a monarchy, the Bolkiah dynasty, the country's ruling family, has amassed an enormous fortune. According to official sources, the Sultan of Brunei has a fortune of up to 28 billion dollars. 

Why does Faiq Bolkiah play football when he is so wealthy?

Kian William, a fellow academy player, did question Faiq Bolkiah about why he eschewed the golds of Brunei in favour of wet evenings in Leicester. Faiq Bolkiah reportedly replied, 

"All of my brothers are sedentary back home. I really want to accomplish something. I do not want to be similar to them."

In a separate interview, Faiq Bolkiah stated: "I am the first Bruneian player to ever compete at this level. I've worked diligently on this from a young age. It goes beyond that. It will take some time to achieve the highest technological level.

"I want my family to be proud of me. It inspires me. They consistently encourage me to improve. When I get good news, I always rush to them. Additionally, I want to honour Brunei on the soccer pitch."

Faiq Bolkiah salary

Although Chonburi manager Sasit Singtothong suggested that the specifics of Faiq Bolkiah's pay with the Thai club would not be disclosed, ZonalSports has been able to gather unique information on this matter.

Notable is the fact that Faiq Bolkiah earns much less than other Thai League 1 players since the Brunei captain refused to be awarded special advantages owing to his status.

With his current club, Chonburi, Faiq Bolkiah receives a salary of 100,000 baht per month, which is roughly equivalent to $2,900 USD

Faiq Bolkiah lifestyle

According to a British source, Faiq Bolkiah spends $35 million every month on luxury automobiles, timepieces, and accessories.

However, he revealed in a January interview with Thai media that his life is so simplistic that he is unable to even exhaust his monthly salary of $2,900 USD.

In case of emergencies, Faiq Bolkiah also has a super-luxury credit card with a maximum of around 820,000 USD, provided by his father.

As a consequence of his passion for Korean film series, he celebrates with a heart. Tigers and leopards are his preferred pets.

Faiq Bolkiah house and cars

Faiq Bolkiah currently lives in a condo in Chonburi, Thailand, with a rent rate of about 170 USD per month.

Despite being the richest footballer in the world, Faiq Bolkiah lives a very modest life and drives a Toyota Yaris to training.

Faiq Bolkiah relationship

When asked in a rare interview by Thai media if he had a "girlfriend", Faiq Bolkiah responded,

"I'm single. I do not want to concentrate on love at this time. I want to pursue my ambitions and demonstrate that I can play professional football."

Who is Faiq Bolkiah's father and siblings?

Faiq Bolkiah has 18 siblings from the five different spouses of his father, Jefri Bolkiah

Initially, Jefri was named Minister of Finance of Brunei by his brother, but in 1998, he was implicated in a massive scam that stunned the globe.

During his ten years as Chancellor of the Exchequer, Jefri embezzled more than 10 billion dollars from Brunei's treasury, together with officials from other positions.

It is well-documented that Jefri spent $2.7 billion on 2,000 luxury automobiles in the United States and overseas, as well as on aircraft, innumerable luxury boats, gold and silver jewellery, house mistresses, and prostitutes. On the eve of the tragedy, Jefri fled to Europe before seeking shelter in the United States.

It was at that time, in May 1998, that Faiq Bolkiah was born in Los Angeles, and within a few years he went into exile with his father in England. 

Brunei's wealth was almost depleted due to Jefri's egotistical desires,, and Hassanal denounced his brother many times to the Privy Council.

Finally, they negotiated an agreement: Jefri transferred $6 billion in assets to his brother, Hassanal, who ceased pursuing the case, enabling his younger brother to settle in England.