Faiq Bolkiah

Faiq Jefri Bolkiah (born 9 May 1998) is a member of the Bruneian Royal Family and a Bruneian professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Portuguese club Marítimo and the Brunei national team. He has served as the captain of the national team.[2]

Bruneian royal family

The Sultan
The Queen
Extended royal family

Faiq Bolkiah
Personal information
Full name Faiq Jefri Bolkiah[1]
Date of birth (1998-05-09) 9 May 1998
Place of birth Los Angeles, California, United States
Height 1.75 m (5 ft 9 in)
Position(s) Midfielder
Club information
Current team
 Marítimo
Number 14
Youth career
0000–2009 A.F.C. Newbury
2009–2013 Southampton
2013–2014 Arsenal
2014–2015 Chelsea
2016 Leicester City
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2016–2020 Leicester City 0 (0)
2020– Marítimo 0 (0)
National team‡
2013 Brunei U19 5 (1)
2018 Brunei U21 3 (0)
2015– Brunei U23 14 (1)
2016– Brunei 6 (1)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 14:16, 16 October 2016 (UTC)
‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 06:17, 12 December 2019 (UTC)

Club career

In 2009, while as a member of A.F.C. Newbury, Bolkiah signed a one-year deal with the Southampton F.C. Academy.[3] He was still with Southampton until at least December 2011.[4] In 2014, Bolkiah signed a two-year youth contract with Chelsea of the Premier League after previously training with Reading and trialing with Arsenal.[5] During his time with Arsenal, Bolkiah competed in the 2013 Lion City Cup against Corinthians, Eintracht Frankfurt, PSV Eindhoven, and a Singapore youth selection. He scored a goal in a 2–1 victory over the team from Singapore.[6] With his contract with Chelsea set to expire in summer 2016, he left the team in December 2015. After a trial with Stoke City,[7] he signed for Leicester City on a reported three-year professional contract in March 2016.[8] He further signed a one-year extension to his deal in the summer of 2019.[9]

On 23 September 2020, Bolkiah signed on a free transfer to Marítimo of Portugal's Primeira Liga.[10]

International career

Bolkiah was eligible to represent the United States and Brunei. He was scouted for the youth teams of the United States[11] but chose to represent Brunei, doing so at the U19 and U23 levels[8] including at the 2015 Southeast Asian Games.[11] In that tournament, he scored in a 1–2 defeat to Timor Leste.[12] He was expected to make his senior international debut on 15 October 2016 in a 2016 AFF Championship qualification match against Timor-Leste.[13] He debuted in the match, starting and playing the full 90 minutes of a 2–1 victory.[14]

Personal life

Faiq is the son of Jefri Bolkiah, Prince of Brunei and nephew of Hassanal Bolkiah, the current Sultan of Brunei. He was born in Los Angeles and holds both Bruneian and American citizenship.[11][15] He was educated in Great Britain at Bradfield College.[4] Bolkiah has been described as "the richest footballer in the world", with an estimated net worth of US$20 billion.[16][17][18]

Career statistics

International
As of match played 8 September 2018.[19]
Appearances and goals by national team and year
National teamYearAppsGoals
Brunei 201651
201810
Total61
As of 21 October 2016[19]
Scores and results list Brunei's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Bolkiah goal.
List of international goals scored by Faiq Bolkiah
No. Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition
121 October 2016RSN Stadium, Phnom Penh, Cambodia Laos2–33–42016 AFF Championship qualification

References
  1. "Updated squads for 2017/18 Premier League confirmed". Premier League. 2 February 2018. Retrieved 11 February 2018.
  2. "Laos vs. Brunei". The AFC. Retrieved 14 November 2016.
  3. "AFC Newbury Newsletter" (PDF). AFC Newbury. Retrieved 16 October 2016.
  4. "Bradfield News: Christmas 2011" (PDF). Bradfield College. Retrieved 16 October 2016.
  5. Nash, Mathew. "Chelsea sign the Sultan of Brunei's nephew on youth deal". HITC. Retrieved 16 October 2016.
  6. Osman, Sadat. "Bruneian royalty Faiq Bolkiah looks to improve his game". Goal.com. Retrieved 16 October 2016.
  7. https://theathletic.co.uk/2225190/2020/12/02/the-worlds-richest-footballer/
  8. O'Rourke, Peter. "Brunei international Faiq Jefri Bolkiah joins Leicester City from Chelsea". ESPN FC. Retrieved 16 October 2016.
  9. "Faiq Bolkiah signs new Leicester contract". FoxesHub. 30 June 2019. Retrieved 11 July 2019.
  10. "Faiq Bolkiah, o jogador mais rico do Mundo, é reforço do Marítimo" [Faiq Bolkiah, the richest player in the world, is an addition to Marítimo]. Record (in Portuguese). 23 September 2020. Retrieved 23 September 2020.
  11. Eubank, Mark. "Chelsea FC's Royalty Faiq Bolkiah Shows Off Talent In SEA Games". International Business Times. Retrieved 16 October 2016.
  12. "Tireless Timor Leste scores first victory against Brunei". SEA Games 2015. Archived from the original on 18 October 2016. Retrieved 16 October 2016.
  13. "Leicester City youngster Faiq poised for Brunei debut". AFF. Archived from the original on 18 October 2016. Retrieved 16 October 2016.
  14. "BRUNEI VS. TIMOR-LESTE 2 - 1". Soccerway. Retrieved 16 October 2016.
  15. Parchman, Will. "How Chelsea's Faiq Bolkiah came to be the most interesting U.S. prospect ever". Top Drawer Soccer. Retrieved 16 October 2016.
  16. "The luxurious life of Faiq Bolkiah, Leicester City footballer and richest player in the world". Marca. 8 January 2018. Retrieved 23 September 2020.
  17. "Who is the richest footballer in the world? Meet the mega-rich Brunei royalty in Leicester City's ranks". Goal. 24 February 2019. Retrieved 23 September 2020.
  18. "Richest footballer in the world is just a 20-year-old". The News. 10 August 2019. Retrieved 23 September 2020.
  19. "NFT Profile". National Football Teams. Retrieved 1 November 2016.
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