Faiq Bolkiah, worth 12 times Messi and Ronaldo combined, left without a club at 28

Faiq Bolkiah, the 28-year-old nephew of the Sultan of Brunei and reportedly the wealthiest active footballer on the planet, is without a club after his contract with Thai side Ratchaburi came to an end.

Bolkiah’s reported net worth of £16bn is roughly 12 times the combined fortunes of Lionel Messi (£680m) and Cristiano Ronaldo (£640m), yet the forward now faces an uncertain future after making just 23 appearances across three seasons in Thailand.

Born in Los Angeles and raised in Berkshire, Bolkiah came through youth academies at Southampton, Reading and Arsenal before joining Chelsea, where he trained alongside the likes of Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Tammy Abraham. After leaving Stamford Bridge, he had a trial at Stoke City before signing for Leicester City in 2016 — the season the Foxes famously won the Premier League title. Despite four years at the club, he never broke into the first team, featuring only at under-18 and under-23 level.

He subsequently moved to Maritimo in Portugal before heading to Southeast Asia, first with Chonburi and then Ratchaburi, the club he has now departed.

Despite his extraordinary family wealth — he is one of numerous heirs to a £200bn fortune and stands among the heirs to the Brunei throne — those who played alongside Bolkiah describe a player defined by his dedication rather than his dynasty.

“You would never ever have thought he was something like the 12th in line to the throne,” former Chelsea academy team-mate Ruben Sammut told The Athletic. “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.”

Sammut added that Bolkiah lived in digs near the training ground like any other youth player and never drew attention to his background. “He just came in with the boy he was in digs with. He never wore flash clothes or came in flash gear, he just wore a tracksuit.”

With his contract now expired, Bolkiah’s next move remains unclear. At 28, he is still within a realistic playing window, but his career to date suggests the gap between elite youth promise and senior professional football has proved difficult to bridge — regardless of the fortune behind him.