Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo might be the two greatest footballers of all-time, but their net worth pales in comparison to that of one ex-Chelsea player who is just 26
Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, two of the world’s highest-earning footballers, have a combined net worth that pales in comparison to one former Chelsea player.
Both Messi and Ronaldo have had stellar careers, with Messi winning numerous trophies with Barcelona, PSG and Inter Miami, and Ronaldo achieving similar success with Real Madrid, Manchester United, Juventus and Al-Nassr.
According to Celebrity Net Worth, Messi, who boasts eight Ballon d’Ors, 12 league titles, four Champions Leagues and a World Cup, has an estimated net worth of around £680million. Ronaldo, on the other hand, with his five Ballon d’Ors and seven league titles, is believed to be worth around £640m.
However, even when you combine their wealth, totalling £1.32billion, it doesn’t come close to the reported £16b net worth of Faiq Bolkiah – a staggering 12 times more than Messi and Ronaldo’s combined wealth. But who exactly is this 26-year-old billionaire who failed to make his mark in the Premier League?
The Sultan of Brunei’s nephew, who is in line for a slice of a £200b fortune, started his football journey at Newbury’s youth setup before hopping between the academies of Southampton, Chelsea, and Leicester City, without ever breaking into the first team.
He then signed his first pro deal with Maritimo in 2020 but only played once for their U23s. His next stop was Thailand with Chonburi, where he clocked up 32 appearances, netted twice, and set up four goals, reports the Mirror.
In 2023, he joined to Ratchaburi and continues to showcase his skills there. A dual national of the US and Brunei, Bolkiah has donned the Brunei jersey six times, scoring once. Despite not cracking the Premier League, he shared the field with stars like Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Tammy Abraham in Chelsea’s youth ranks.
Academy teammate Ruben Sammut told The Athletic how they’d tease him about his wealth, yet noted his down-to-earth nature, saying: “You would never ever have thought he was something like the 12th in line to the throne. You would not have thought of him as royalty. He was a humble guy, trying every day like every academy player. We used to joke he didn’t need to play football but he wanted to play because he loved football.
“It wasn’t a regular thing we mentioned. It was that typical banter, saying he is royalty, saying, ‘What’s he doing playing with us?’ But we all knew deep down how much he wanted to play, so it was more good-willed passing comments.”