While Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi are among the highest-paid footballers on the planet, one player's estimated net worth of £15.7bn dwarfs them both. Faiq Bolkiah, a 28-year-old winger currently playing for Thai League 1 side Ratchaburi, is the world's richest footballer despite not featuring at the World Cup.
Who is Faiq Bolkiah?
Bolkiah is of Bruneian heritage but was born in Los Angeles, United States. He is the son of Jefri Bolkiah, a member of the Bruneian royal household, and the nephew of the Sultan of Brunei. His family ties position him to inherit a portion of the Asian royal dynasty's £200bn wealth. According to Forbes, Ronaldo has an estimated net worth of £908.6 million ($1.2bn), with Messi trailing on £833m ($1.1bn). However, Bolkiah's personal fortune is estimated to be seven times greater than Ronaldo and Messi's combined.
Could Buy the Dallas Cowboys and Still Have Billions Left
To put his wealth into perspective, Bolkiah could buy the Dallas Cowboys NFL franchise, the world's most valuable sports team at £10.2bn ($13.5bn), and still have roughly £5bn left over.
Struggles on the Pitch
Despite his vast wealth, Bolkiah has struggled to establish himself as a professional footballer. He progressed through academy systems at Southampton, Leicester, and Chelsea but failed to break into the first team at any of those clubs. Southampton first scouted him aged 13, before Chelsea snapped him up. During a heavy loss for Southampton's Under-16s against Chelsea, Bolkiah initially attracted attention.
"At the time, Chelsea's age group (U-16) was very, very strong. They won everything. It was the age group with Tammy Abraham, Fikayo Tomori, and a lot of top players," Bolkiah told Mainstand. "As a young player in England, everyone looked up to the players at Chelsea because they were the best. They won every youth tournament. We went there and lost 8-0 or 9-0, but it was one of the best games I've ever played in my life by far. I don't know how but even though we lost a lot, I showed a lot of what I could do."
Despite securing a deal with the Blues, Bolkiah departed in December 2015 for Leicester. While he described his time with the Foxes as "amazing," he failed to break into the first team and left in 2020. He subsequently signed for Portuguese side Maritimo, a move he now regrets.
"Maritimo said to me, 'You'll come here, you'll play,' so I said, 'I just want to be here for a year. The main thing for me is I want to play.' Obviously, that didn't happen. I definitely regret moving there," he said later. "I feel like there was a lot of politics to do with it as well, why Maritimo wanted me. I didn't feel like they were being fully honest."
Current Career and World Cup Absence
Bolkiah currently features for Thai League 1 side Ratchaburi, though he remains on the periphery with no prospect of World Cup involvement. During the 2025/26 season, he managed only two outings from a potential 30 for his club, yet he still believes Asia represents the right path for his career.
He said: "I never had (the thought) in my head that I would come to Asia. I sat down with my agent, my advisors and my family members, and I just said to them, 'I can't risk going to another club, them signing me for reasons outside of football, and not playing, wasting another year or two years.'"
His footballing career may not have unfolded as he envisioned, but Bolkiah can still lay claim to the title of the world's wealthiest footballer — and not even Ronaldo or Messi can strip him of that distinction.
