Faiq Bolkiah, a former Chelsea and Arsenal youth player, is now a free agent after his contract with Thai club Ratchaburi expired. The 28-year-old, a nephew of the Sultan of Brunei, is one of numerous heirs to a £200 billion fortune and has a reported personal net worth of £16 billion—12 times more than Lionel Messi (£680m) and Cristiano Ronaldo (£640m) combined.
A career that began in England
Born in Los Angeles, Bolkiah grew up in Berkshire and started his career in English football. He had spells at Southampton, Reading, and Arsenal before joining Chelsea, where he played alongside Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Tammy Abraham in the youth ranks.
After leaving Chelsea, he had a trial at Stoke City before moving to Leicester City in 2016, around the time the Foxes won the Premier League. He played for Leicester's U18 and U23 sides but did not break into the first team.
Move to Portugal and Thailand
After four years at Leicester, Bolkiah moved to Maritimo in Portugal, then to Thai sides Chonburi and Ratchaburi. At Ratchaburi, he made just 23 appearances in three years, and his career is now uncertain following his departure.
Despite his wealth, Bolkiah has been described as humble. Former Chelsea 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."
Humble off the pitch
Sammut added: "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."
"We don't know the ins and outs of the wealth of his family but he took football seriously, so full credit to him. He lived in digs like everyone else. I can't remember who with."
"He just came in with the boy he was in digs with. This would have been age around 16-18, youth team group. We lived in digs, walking distance to the training ground. He didn't do the schooling."
"It was youth team full-time training and stayed with a host family. He was just humble, he never wore flash clothes or came in flash gear, he just wore a tracksuit. Just a down-to-earth guy."
"I think he did it so he didn't draw attention to himself. He knew if he was splashing the cash, it would create a bad image for himself."
