Faiq Bolkiah

Faiq Bolkiah
Faiq ibni Jefri Bolkiah (born 9 May 1998) is a member of the Brunei royal family and professional soccer player who plays as a winger for Ratchaburi in Thai League 1. Born in the United States, he has represented and served as the captain of the Brunei national team.
Club career
Early career
In 2009, while as a member of A.F.C. Newbury, Bolkiah signed a one-year deal with the Southampton F.C. Academy. He was still with Southampton until at least December 2011. In 2014, Bolkiah signed a two-year youth contract with Chelsea of the Premier League after previously training with Reading and trialing with Arsenal. 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. With his contract with Chelsea set to expire in summer 2016, he left the team in December 2015. After a trial with Stoke City, he signed for Leicester City on a reported three-year professional contract in March 2016. He further signed a one-year extension to his deal in the summer of 2019.
Marítimo
On 23 September 2020, Bolkiah signed on a free transfer to Marítimo of Portugal's Primeira Liga. Three months later, he made his debut with under-23 team in a 3–3 home draw against Sporting CP U23 after being named in the starting line-up. Forty-five days later, he was named as a Marítimo substitute for the first time in a league match against Sporting CP.
On 11 April 2021, he made his senior debut for Marítimo B, coming on as a substitute in a 2–1 win over Gondomar.
Chonburi
In December 2021, Bolkiah joined Thai League 1 outift, Chonburi ahead of the second half of the 2021-22 season. He became the first ever Bruneian to join a Thai club. He scored his first goal for the club in a 1–0 victory against Port F.C. on 25 November 2022. He announced his departure from the club on 14 May 2023, after the conclusion of the 2022–23 Thai League 1.
Ratchaburi
On 16 June 2023, Ratchaburi announced on their official Facebook page the signing of Faiq for the upcoming 2023–24 Thai League 1 season. He made his debut against Nakhon Pathom United on 19 August 2023 as a substitute in a 0–1 loss. A month later, he scored his first goal for Ratchaburi in a 6–1 win at home against Police Tero on 16 September.
International career
Bolkiah was eligible to represent the United States and Brunei. He was scouted for the youth teams of the United States but chose to represent Brunei, doing so at the U19 and U23 levels including at the 2015 Southeast Asian Games. In that tournament, he scored in a 1–2 defeat to Timor Leste. He was expected to make his senior international debut on 15 October 2016 in a 2016 AFF Championship qualification match against Timor-Leste. He debuted in the match, starting and playing the full 90 minutes of a 2–1 victory.
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. He was educated in Great Britain at Bradfield College. Bolkiah has been described as "the richest footballer in the world", with an estimated net worth of US$20 billion.
Career statistics
International
Scores and results list Brunei's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Bolkiah goal.
References
External links
The royal footballer: Faiq Bolkiah’s unlimited passion for the beautiful game
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Living people
1998 births
Bruneian Muslims
Soccer players from Los Angeles
Men's association football midfielders
Bruneian men's footballers
Brunei men's international footballers
Bruneian expatriate men's footballers
American men's soccer players
American people of Bruneian descent
C.S. Marítimo players
American expatriate sportspeople in England
Bruneian expatriates in the United Kingdom
American expatriate sportspeople in Portugal
Expatriate men's footballers in England
Expatriate men's footballers in Portugal
Faiq Bolkiah
Faiq Bolkiah
Faiq Bolkiah
Competitors at the 2015 SEA Games
Competitors at the 2017 SEA Games
Competitors at the 2019 SEA Games
American billionaires
Bruneian billionaires
SEA Games competitors for Brunei