What is Faiq Bolkiah's Net Worth?
Faiq Bolkiah is a professional footballer who has a net worth of $50 million. A member of the Brunei royal family, Faiq Bolkiah plays as a winger for the Thai League 1 club Ratchaburi. He has also played for the Brunei national football team. Previously, Bolkiah had stints with the Portuguese clubs Marítimo and Marítimo B and the Thai club Chonburi.
Early Life and Education
Faiq Jefri Bolkiah was born on May 9, 1998 in Los Angeles, California as the son of Prince Jefri of the Bruneian royal family. He is one of Jefri's 17 known children. His father's assets, which include two yachts named "Nipple 1" and "Nipple 2," are estimated to give him a net worth in the $1-2 billion range. More importantly, Faiq's uncle Hassanal, aka the Sultan of Brunei, is one of the richest people in the world with a net worth of $30 billion. Bolkiah was educated at Bradfield College in England.
Bolkiah began his football career playing for the youth team of A.F.C. Newbury in England. He left the team in 2009 after signing a one-year deal with the youth organization of Southampton F.C. However, Bolkiah ended up staying with Southampton for a few years. He subsequently trained with Reading F.C. and did a trial with Arsenal. With Arsenal, Bolkiah competed in the 2013 Lion City Cup. The following year, he signed a two-year contract with the youth organization of Chelsea. Bolkiah went on to trial with Stoke City before signing with Leicester City in 2016. He remained with Leicester City until 2020.
Marítimo
In September of 2020, Bolkiah joined the Portuguese Primeira Liga club Marítimo. He made his debut with the club's under-23 team a few months later in a 3-3 home draw with Sporting CP. In April of 2021, Bolkiah made his senior debut with Marítimo B, the reserve team of Marítimo. He appeared as a substitute in the team's 2-1 win over Gondomar.
Thai League 1
In late 2021, Bolkiah left Portugal to join the Thai League 1 club Chonburi. He became, in the process, the first-ever Bruneian to join a Thai football club. Bolkiah scored his first goal for Chonburi in a 1-0 victory over Port in late 2022. Following the conclusion of the 2022-23 Thai League 1 season, he announced his departure from Chonburi.
After leaving Chonburi, Bolkiah signed with the Thai League 1 club Ratchaburi. He made his debut for the club as a substitute in a 0-1 loss to Nakhon Pathom United in August of 2023. The next month, Bolkiah scored his first goal for Ratchaburi in a 6-1 home victory over Police Tero. Ratchaburi finished the season in sixth place in the league.
National Team Career
Eligible to represent both his ancestral Brunei and his birthplace of the United States, Bolkiah decided to play for the Brunei national football team. He made his debut for the team at the under-19 level in 2013, recording one goal in five appearances. Bolkiah went on to play with the under-21 team in 2018 and the under-23 team from 2015 to 2019. Meanwhile, he made his senior debut for the Brunei national football team in a 2016 AFF Championship qualification match against Timor-Leste. In the match, Bolkiah started and played the full 90 minutes of the 2-1 victory.