Faiq Bolkiah, nephew of Brunei’s Sultan, spent years at Chelsea academy earlier than shifting to Thai soccer.
Faiq Bolkiah throughout a pleasant match between Chelsea Underneath-18s and Watford Underneath-18s (Picture: Getty)
Faiq Bolkiah, a former Chelsea academy participant now making waves at Ratchaburi FC within the Thai League, will not be your common footballer. The 27-year-old winger, who was born in Los Angeles and started his profession with AFC Newbury earlier than stints with Southampton, Chelsea and Leicester, is definitely of Royal descent, and his household’s wealth far surpasses that of different well-known soccer stars. Bolkiah, who additionally had trials with Arsenal and Stoke Metropolis in his early teenagers and attended the celebrated Bradfield School in Berkshire, which prices £58,000 per 12 months, moved from England to Portugal in 2020 to signal for Maritimo.
He performed just for their youth groups for a couple of 12 months earlier than heading to Thailand and Chonburi FC. After making 32 appearances for them, he moved as much as Ratchaburi, nevertheless it’s his staggering wealth that has at all times been the principle speaking level all through his footballing journey.
Bolkiah is the nephew of Hassanal Bolkiah, the Sultan of Brunei, whose fortune is estimated to be round £22billion, based on numerous sources together with Movie star Web Value. A few of this huge wealth is predicted to be inherited by Bolkiah.
The household’s automobile assortment, believed to be the biggest on the earth and valued at roughly £5bn, consists of an astonishing 7,000 automobiles. Amongst their different extravagant possessions is a gold-plated Boeing 747, value a whopping £460million.
The majority of Faiq’s household wealth stems from oil reserves. Brunei has been amongst the globe’s main producers of crude oil and pure gasoline since 1929, with the excellence between state and personal property within the nation being terribly slim.
A considerable portion of the household fortune has been ploughed again into shares and a different funding portfolio. The household additionally possesses a set of upmarket motels and properties throughout London, Paris and New York.
Faiq Bolkiah in an Underneath-21s pleasant between Chelsea and Burnley (Picture: Getty)
Faiq Bolkiah taking part in for Leicester Metropolis (Picture: Getty)
But beneath all this affluence lies what appears to be a remarkably grounded footballer, at the very least based on Faiq’s former colleagues. The winger shared the pitch with gamers comparable to Tammy Abraham and Ruben Loftus-Cheek throughout his time at Chelsea.
Ruben Sammut, who was additionally a part of that group, informed The Athletic in regards to the Brunei worldwide and the light-hearted jokes teammates would crack about his riches. He stated: “You’d by no means ever have thought he was one thing just like the twelfth in line to the throne.
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“You wouldn’t have considered him as royalty. He was a humble man, making an attempt on daily basis like each academy participant. We used to joke he did not have to play soccer however he wished to play as a result of he beloved soccer.
“It wasn’t an everyday factor we talked about. It was that typical banter, saying he’s royalty, saying, ‘What’s he doing taking part in with us?’ However all of us knew deep down how a lot he wished to play, so it was extra good-willed passing feedback.”
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