To any football fan who isn’t already familiar with Faiq Bolkiah, it would be quite surprising, if not absolutely unbelievable, that a barely recognized footballer could be richer than Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi combined.

Ronaldo and Messi have long dominated the football world, and they are unarguably the richest “world-recognized” footballers. Although not widely recognized as either of Ronaldo and Messi, Brunei international and Ratchaburi player Faiq Bolkiah is the “world’s richest footballer.”

While Bolkiah is said to be 20 times wealthier than either of Ronaldo and Messi, we’d like to tell you several interesting things including how the Brunei international became incredibly wealthy.

Bolkiah’s 349 Days Off the Pitch

In February 2024, Faiq Bolkiah was hit with a severe leg injury in Ratchaburi’s encounter with Police Tero in the Thai Premier League. The injury kept Bolkiah out of football action for 349 days. In a way to mark his return to action in February 2025, the Brunei international made an Instagram post after Ratchaburi’s win over Rayong FC. In the post, Bolkiah admitted that he felt great to be back on the pitch after nearly one year since the severe injury.

His Spell in England

Faiq Bolkiah is said to have played at different English football clubs, though at the youth academy level. He played in England until 2020 when he had to move to Maritimo in Portugal. Notably, Bolkiah’s England spell saw him play for the youth academies of clubs like Chelsea, Southampton, and Leicester City.

While we might argue that Bolkiah didn’t seem to shoot into stardom while in England, the Brunei international must have had great moments with some of his former teammates, especially at Chelsea. Following his return from the severe injury that kept him on the sidelines for nearly one year, Bolkiah made a post-match Instagram post signaling his return, and he got a reply from former teammate and Chelsea player Reece James.

Stint in Portugal

It didn’t take long for Bolkiah to end his stint at Maritimo –the Portuguese football club he had joined in 2020.

The Football Club Bolkiah Currently Plays for

The multi-billionaire footballer currently plays for Ratchaburi –the football club he moved to after leaving Thai football club Chonburi. Bolkiah has been with Ratchaburi since 2023, and he has had over 15 appearances and scored twice for the Thai club.

The Incredible Net Worth That Keeps Bolkiah atop

Faiq Bolkiah’s net worth is estimated at $20 billion which is far above the combined net worth of football greats –Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi. While Messi’s net worth is estimated at $850 million, Ronaldo is said to be worth over $880 million. Statistically, Faiq Bolkiah is, at least, 20 times richer than either of Ronaldo and Messi.

Of course, Bolkiah is far below either of Messi and Ronaldo in football achievements, but the Brunei international is incredibly the world’s richest footballer.

Why Is Bolkiah Incredibly Wealthy?

For the fact that we mentioned earlier that Bolkiah is far below either of Messi and Ronaldo in football achievements, a distant observer might not want to believe that a footballer without significant achievements could be wealthier than football greats.

Admittedly, however, Bolkiah is much wealthier than Ronaldo and Messi combined and his incredible wealth has been attributed to his Brunei lineage. The lineage defines him as a nephew to Brunei’s Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah. While Hassanal Bolkiah is said to be one of the world’s wealthiest monarchs, it’s perhaps unsurprising that his nephew boasts staggering net worth.

Conclusion

So far, we’ve told you who Faiq Bolkiah is and why he is 20 times wealthier than either of Ronaldo and Messi.

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