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Jon Boon
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MEET the world’s richest footballer Faiq Bolkiah, the nephew of the Sultan of Brunei.
Faiq Bolkiah now plays for Thai League 1 club Chonburi., following unsuccessful spells with Leicester City and Portuguese side Maritimo.
Faiq Bolkiah is the richest young footballer in the world and was formerly of Leicester City
Getty - Contributor
Faiq Bolkiah is the nephew of the Sultan of Brunei
Instagram @fjbolkiah
The dynamic winger, 24, is one of the heirs to Hassanal Bolkiah’s £13billion fortune.
That dwarfs the worth of the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi – making Bolkiah the wealthiest living footballer.
His dad is Jefri Bolkiah, a brother of the oil tycoon, so that makes Faiq a member of their royal family.
But that hasn’t stopped Faiq from shunning his family’s billions to pursue a career in football.
Let SunSport introduce you to the man who really doesn’t need to work for a living.
After playing youth football for AFC Newbury, Faiq signed a one-year deal with Southampton’s famed youth academy in 2009.
He didn’t quite turn enough heads to secure a full-time contract and went on trial at Arsenal in 2013, playing for the Gunners in the 2013 Lion City Cup.
Faiq Bolkiah could have lived in a palace like the Sultan of Brunei
Getty Images - Getty
Faiq Bolkiah was once on Chelsea’s books
Chelsea FC
Faiq Bolkiah playing for Leicester City’s reserves
Getty - Contributor
A Rolls Royce like this could have been a chariot for Faiq Bolkiah
Getty - Contributor
Faiq got himself on the scoresheet in that tournament against a Singapore youth selection.
Alerted to his availability, Chelsea then swooped and offered him a two-year deal in 2014. But he left Stamford Bridge in December, 2015 to sign for Leicester in a three-year deal.
Despite not playing a professional game in England yet, Faiq has pulled on the international shirt of Brunei six times, finding the net once.
Faiq Bolkiah has captain the Brunei international football team
Getty - Contributor
He even captained the side in the 2017 Aceh World Solidarity Tsunami Cup.
Incidentally, he was born in Los Angeles, so he could’ve represented the United States. But he was loyal to his family and stayed close to his roots.
Faiq Bolkiah was loyal to his family and turned down a chance to play for the US
AFP - Getty
He may have an innocent demeanour, but his father Jefri Bolkiah was known as the playboy of the Brunei royal family.
Jefri reportedly lived quite the life of excess, reportedly blowing around £10billion in 15-years as head of the Brunei Investment agency.
At one point, he was said to be spending £35m a month on cars, watches, erotic white gold pens and up to a £1m a hit on karaoke parties with a swarm of beautiful women.
Jefri Bolkiah celebrates his birthday with his son
Instagram @fjbolkiah
Jefri Bolkiah was the playboy of the Brunei royal family
Rex Features
Faiq Bolkiah might have had an easier life and lived like a prince if he wasn’t a footballer
1998 Julian Parker
Faiq Bolkiah’s cousins enjoy a lavish lifestyle in their own country
Getty - Contributor
Jefri was also believed to have owned 2,300 cars at the height of his wealth, including a fleet of Bentleys, Ferraris and Rolls-Royces.
However, his pride and joy is a yacht inappropriately called ‘Tits’ which had tenders called ‘Nipple 1’ and ‘Nipple 2’.
Faiq Bolkiah stands to inherit a boat called Tits
Big Pictures
The Tits has tenders called Nipple 1 and Nipple 2
Big Pictures
Jefri wasn’t afraid to embrace erotica either, once commissioning artist J. Seward Johnson to create a £500,000 sexually-explicit statue of himself and his ex-fiancee.
Amusingly, he once splashed around £5million on a rug that was woven with gold thread and jewels.
A £5m rug bought by Jefri Bolkiah
PA
ress Association
A set of erotic pens in white gold owned by Jefri Bolkiah
PAress Association
An erotic watch owned by Jefri Bolkiah made of white gold and platinum
PAress Association
Being a rich kid has its perks, especially if you’re Faiq.
When dad Jefri wanted to celebrate his milestone 50th birthday, he also wanted to impress his then 7-year-old son.
Michael Jackson performed a private concert for Faiq Bolkiah
Getty - Contributor
So what did he do? He only flew in the ‘King of Pop’ Michael Jackson to perform a private concert for him and his family.
Jefri paid Jacko around £12.5 million for the privilege, which was chump change for the Brunei royal family.
The privilege of having Michael Jackson perform privately cost Jefri Bolkiah £12.5m
Reuters
Faiq Bolkiah has shunned a throne like the Sultan of Brunei for a rainy night in Leicester
AFP - Getty
Making sure Michael was suitably catered for, Jefri also built an entire stadium for the occasion.
“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,” he once said in a rare interview.
Ex-Wolves boss Nuno Espirito was said to be interested in signing Faiq Bolkiah
Getty Images - Getty
“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.”
Faiq Bolkiah turned his back on a lavish lifestyle full of gold
Getty - Contributor
Sultan of Brunei has an estimated worth of £22bn
Reuters
Faiq Bolkiah insists his family have had a big influence on his career
AFP or licensors
With determination like that, he might just succeed in the game.
However, if it doesn’t work out for him, it’s not as if he’s got nothing to fall back on.
Continue reading...
Faiq Bolkiah now plays for Thai League 1 club Chonburi., following unsuccessful spells with Leicester City and Portuguese side Maritimo.
Faiq Bolkiah is the richest young footballer in the world and was formerly of Leicester City
Getty - Contributor
Faiq Bolkiah is the nephew of the Sultan of Brunei
Instagram @fjbolkiah
The dynamic winger, 24, is one of the heirs to Hassanal Bolkiah’s £13billion fortune.
That dwarfs the worth of the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi – making Bolkiah the wealthiest living footballer.
His dad is Jefri Bolkiah, a brother of the oil tycoon, so that makes Faiq a member of their royal family.
But that hasn’t stopped Faiq from shunning his family’s billions to pursue a career in football.
Let SunSport introduce you to the man who really doesn’t need to work for a living.
Competition was fierce for him in his youth days…
After playing youth football for AFC Newbury, Faiq signed a one-year deal with Southampton’s famed youth academy in 2009.
He didn’t quite turn enough heads to secure a full-time contract and went on trial at Arsenal in 2013, playing for the Gunners in the 2013 Lion City Cup.
Faiq Bolkiah could have lived in a palace like the Sultan of Brunei
Getty Images - Getty
Faiq Bolkiah was once on Chelsea’s books
Chelsea FC
Faiq Bolkiah playing for Leicester City’s reserves
Getty - Contributor
A Rolls Royce like this could have been a chariot for Faiq Bolkiah
Getty - Contributor
Faiq got himself on the scoresheet in that tournament against a Singapore youth selection.
Alerted to his availability, Chelsea then swooped and offered him a two-year deal in 2014. But he left Stamford Bridge in December, 2015 to sign for Leicester in a three-year deal.
He captains his international side…
Despite not playing a professional game in England yet, Faiq has pulled on the international shirt of Brunei six times, finding the net once.
Faiq Bolkiah has captain the Brunei international football team
Getty - Contributor
He even captained the side in the 2017 Aceh World Solidarity Tsunami Cup.
Incidentally, he was born in Los Angeles, so he could’ve represented the United States. But he was loyal to his family and stayed close to his roots.
Faiq Bolkiah was loyal to his family and turned down a chance to play for the US
AFP - Getty
Faiq’s dad is quite the character…
He may have an innocent demeanour, but his father Jefri Bolkiah was known as the playboy of the Brunei royal family.
Jefri reportedly lived quite the life of excess, reportedly blowing around £10billion in 15-years as head of the Brunei Investment agency.
At one point, he was said to be spending £35m a month on cars, watches, erotic white gold pens and up to a £1m a hit on karaoke parties with a swarm of beautiful women.
Jefri Bolkiah celebrates his birthday with his son
Instagram @fjbolkiah
Jefri Bolkiah was the playboy of the Brunei royal family
Rex Features
Faiq Bolkiah might have had an easier life and lived like a prince if he wasn’t a footballer
1998 Julian Parker
Faiq Bolkiah’s cousins enjoy a lavish lifestyle in their own country
Getty - Contributor
Jefri was also believed to have owned 2,300 cars at the height of his wealth, including a fleet of Bentleys, Ferraris and Rolls-Royces.
However, his pride and joy is a yacht inappropriately called ‘Tits’ which had tenders called ‘Nipple 1’ and ‘Nipple 2’.
Faiq Bolkiah stands to inherit a boat called Tits
Big Pictures
The Tits has tenders called Nipple 1 and Nipple 2
Big Pictures
Jefri wasn’t afraid to embrace erotica either, once commissioning artist J. Seward Johnson to create a £500,000 sexually-explicit statue of himself and his ex-fiancee.
Amusingly, he once splashed around £5million on a rug that was woven with gold thread and jewels.
A £5m rug bought by Jefri Bolkiah
PA
ress AssociationA set of erotic pens in white gold owned by Jefri Bolkiah
PA
ress AssociationAn erotic watch owned by Jefri Bolkiah made of white gold and platinum
PA
ress AssociationMichael Jackson was on speed dial when he needed him…
Being a rich kid has its perks, especially if you’re Faiq.
When dad Jefri wanted to celebrate his milestone 50th birthday, he also wanted to impress his then 7-year-old son.
Michael Jackson performed a private concert for Faiq Bolkiah
Getty - Contributor
So what did he do? He only flew in the ‘King of Pop’ Michael Jackson to perform a private concert for him and his family.
Jefri paid Jacko around £12.5 million for the privilege, which was chump change for the Brunei royal family.
The privilege of having Michael Jackson perform privately cost Jefri Bolkiah £12.5m
Reuters
Faiq Bolkiah has shunned a throne like the Sultan of Brunei for a rainy night in Leicester
AFP - Getty
Making sure Michael was suitably catered for, Jefri also built an entire stadium for the occasion.
But Faiq is determined to shun his riches to make it as a professional footballer…
“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,” he once said in a rare interview.
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“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.”
Faiq Bolkiah turned his back on a lavish lifestyle full of gold
Getty - Contributor
Sultan of Brunei has an estimated worth of £22bn
Reuters
Faiq Bolkiah insists his family have had a big influence on his career
AFP or licensors
With determination like that, he might just succeed in the game.
However, if it doesn’t work out for him, it’s not as if he’s got nothing to fall back on.
Continue reading...