Wednesday, December 15, 2021
Not Messi, not Ronaldo …
The richest professional in the world is now without a club
No, that he is playing for the money, Faiq Bolkiah does not see himself exposed to this accusation: The 23-year-old is worth billions, richer than the biggest superstars in the industry. Now he is being deprived of his passion for the time being.
Faiq Bolkiah, who is considered the wealthiest professional soccer player in the world, is without a club. The Portuguese first division club CS Marítimo announced that they had separated from the 23-year-old right winger. Bolkiah, who was transferred from the U23s of the Premier League club Leicester City in autumn 2020, was never a sporting factor in the Primeira Liga table ninth, he only sat on the bench once during a league game. The contract had now been prematurely terminated by mutual agreement, it said. They “thank Faiq Bolkiah for his commitment and wish him all the best professionally and privately”.
Neither the player nor the club announced how things will continue for Bolkiah in terms of sport. One thing is clear: the 23-year-old does not have to accept the first offer. Bolkiah was born in Los Angeles, California, to the Prince of the Brunei Oil Sultanate, Jefri Bolkiah. He is the nephew of the ruler of Brunei, Hassanal Bolkiah. The family’s fortune is estimated at many billions of euros. Even big earners like Cristiano Ronaldo or Lionel Messi cannot come close. Both should come to a fortune of around 1.5 billion – together.
Michael Jackson once came to the private concert
According to reports by Business Insider, Faiq Bolkiah alone is said to have assets of 15 billion euros. His uncle Hassanal Bolkiah owns the largest collection of cars in the world: 3,000 to 5,000 luxury and sports cars. For his 50th birthday in 1996, the Sultan had Michael Jackson flown in and paid the “King of Pop” 12.5 million dollars for the exclusive concert. In his own honor, he built a stadium in the capital, Bandar, that can seat 60,000 people. His son, Prince Jefri, is said to be spending $ 35 million a month, according to media reports. For luxury goods.
Bolkiah made his first steps into professional football in England: In the youth of Southampton FC, he was chosen for bigger tasks and moved to the youth department of Chelsea FC and then to Leicester City. “It was a decision from a footballing point of view, but because the owners are from Southeast Asia, they were excited about my move and saw the potential,” Bolkiah was quoted as saying on the AFC website at the time. He played five times in the UEFA Youth League for the surprise champions of 2016.
But he never got any noteworthy assignments in the senior sector, neither with the professionals nor in the U23 area. For Maritimo there is only one use in the U23 in the statistics. Bolkiah made his debut for the national team of his country in 2016 and wore the captain’s armband in all three missions until 2018.
“My parents have always supported me to make my dream of becoming a footballer come true,” “Business Insider” quoted the footballer as saying in 2020. “They trained me both mentally and physically hard when I was a child, so I have to say that they are my role models.” And he assured “FourFourTwo”: “I’ve been playing football for as long as I can remember. I’ve always enjoyed being on the pitch.” How it will continue is unknown. One thing is clear: Bolkiah does not have to continue playing because of money.