Faiq Bolkiah spent eleven years in the academies of Southampton, Chelsea and Leicester without playing a single minute of senior football in England. Now his spell in Thailand is over, and his career is back at square one.
There is a genre all of its own in the British football press: the story of the world’s richest footballer. It has been a regular fixture for ten years, and it is always about the same man.
This week, the genre took a new turn. According to British media reports, Faiq Bolkiah is without a club after his time at Thai side Ratchaburi came to an end. He is 28.
Eleven years in English academies
Bolkiah is the son of Prince Jefri Bolkiah and the nephew of Hassanal Bolkiah, the Sultan of Brunei. The Sultan’s personal fortune is estimated at around £22 billion, which is where the title comes from. The point that tends to get lost in the headlines is that the money belongs to the family, not the player.
He was born in Los Angeles in 1998 and grew up in England. After starting out at AFC Newbury, his path took him via Southampton (2009–2013) and Chelsea (2014–2016) to Leicester, where he stayed from 2016 to 2020. Along the way, he also had trials at Arsenal and Stoke.
Eleven years in English academy football. No senior appearances.
It is worth being precise on that point, because this is where most reports go astray: Bolkiah never played a match for Chelsea’s first team. He was an academy player for two years during a period when the club ran one of Europe’s best-funded youth set-ups.
The usual outcome
The story is less remarkable than the headlines suggest. The vast majority of those who sign for a Premier League academy never play a minute for the first team. Academies recruit players at around twelve and then release them in batches – at 16, at 18, at 21.
The unusual thing about Bolkiah was his surname, not the outcome.
Portugal, then Thailand
When he left England in 2020, he joined Portuguese side Marítimo, but never progressed beyond the B team and youth side. A year later, he signed for Chonburi and became the first Bruneian in Thai football. He made 32 appearances and scored two goals there over a season and a half.
In the summer of 2023, he moved on to Ratchaburi. His record after three years: 23 appearances, two goals.
He has six senior caps and one goal for Brunei. The national team rarely plays official matches, and his career at that level has reflected that.