Neither Messi nor Ronaldo is the richest professional footballers in the world. It isn’t even Brazilian star Neymar or France striker Kylian Mbappe.
When we think of the richest football player in the world, the names that pop up in one’s mind are the living legends Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. Messi has a net worth of around $600 million in 2022 while Ronaldo’s stands at around $500 million. However, neither of them are the richest professional footballers in the world. In fact, it isn’t even Brazilian star Neymar or ace France striker Kylian Mbappe. This tag goes to an unlikely face who isn’t even a household name across the footballing world. The world’s richest footballer is a 24-year-old midfielder called Faiq Bolkiah.
Who is Faiq Bolkiah, the richest football player in the world?
1998-born Faiq Jefri Bolkiah is a professional footballer from Brunei who currently plays for Thailand-based club Chonburi. While relatively unknown around the world, Bolkiah holds the tag for being the richest footballer globally with an estimated net worth of around $20 billion.
The source of this young footballer’s immense wealth is his illustrious background. Bolkiah belongs to the royal family of Brunei. He is the nephew of the current Sultan of Brunei Hassanal Bolkiah. His father is Prince of Brunei Jefri Bolkiah.
Faiq, who has also been the captain of the Brunei national football team, holds a dual Bruneian and American citizenship. He was born in Los Angeles in the US and educated in the UK. While eligible to play for the US, he decided to turn out for Brunei.
In his club career, he has been on the rolls of Premier League clubs like Chelsea, Arsenal, Southampton and Leicester City. He joined Chonburi in 2021, becoming the first ever footballer from Brunei to play for a Thai team.
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