If asked who the richest footballer in the world is, the first names that will come to mind would be Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi, and for good reason as both earn eye-watering wages and are endorsed by various brands which make them money.
But you’d be wrong
The richest footballer in the world is Faiq Bolkiah who plays for the Leicester reserve team.
Shocking right? Well Bolkiah takes that spot by virtue of being the nephew of the Sultan of Brunei, Hassanal Bolkiah.
Sultan Bolkiah is said to be valued at over $20billion.
Faiq’s father, Jefri Bolkiah is said to be worth a pretty penny too. He’s reportedly the owner of at least 2300 cars and according to British sources he spent around 14 million euros on his fiftieth birthday when he hired Michael Jackson for a private concert with his family.
The young footballer currently plays in the Leicester City academy and came from AFC Newbury in southern England.
He was courted by Southampton in 2009, in 2013 he had a trial with Arsenal where he even scored in the Lion’s cup after which he signed for Chelsea, but after just one year he chose to sign a 3-year deal with Leicester.
While very young, Faiq has already been capped 9 times by his native Brunei and has scored one goal
With all the money in his family, many wonder why he bothers with football. In an interview he stated; “I’ve played football since as early as I can remember and from a young age I’ve always enjoyed going out on the field and having the ball at my feet.
“My parents have always been supportive in helping me to achieve my dreams of being a footballer.
“They trained me hard both psychologically and physically through my childhood years, so I have to say they are my role models.”
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