The world’s wealthiest soccer player worth 10 times Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi combined
Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi are widely regarded as two of the greatest footballers of all time, and their salaries have reflected this over the years. However, they wish they had a fraction of midfielder Faiq Bolkiah’s wealth.
Faiq Bolkiah is the world’s richest footballer, boasting a staggering net worth of $20 billion (£16bn), much higher than Lionel Messi ($600m) and Cristiano Ronaldo ($490m). Bolkiah is the nephew of the Sultan of Brunei, which means he was born into an extremely wealthy family.
Despite his privileged upbringing, Bolkiah is determined to have a career in football. Despite his talent, he struggled to gain acceptance in various football academies.
He has been part of teams such as Southampton, Chelsea, and Leicester City, but never managed to make the first team, even after being given a contract extension which raised expectations of his potential.
Bolkiah’s career took a new turn when he made the decision to move to Portugal and join Maritimo in the Primeira Liga with the hope of getting more playing time. Unfortunately, he only managed to make three appearances for the club’s B team, which led him to seeking a transfer after a year.
Speaking to Mainstand about the failed move, Bolkiah revealed: “I had about three or four offers after Leicester. 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. 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. It definitely made me stronger.
“It definitely made me work harder and keep my head down. That didn’t change for sure. But I definitely made the right decision to leave. I had another two years left on my contract there. They changed presidents at the time, I went in there and they understood my situation. It wouldn’t have done me or the club any good for me to be there longer.”
Faiq Bolkiah is now playing for Thai team Chonburi and is the first football player from Brunei to play in Thailand. Although his salary may not be the highest at the club, he can still rely on his family’s wealth after retiring from professional football.
The world’s wealthiest soccer player worth 10 times Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi combined
