Faiq Bolkiah
Bruneian footballer (born 1998)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Faiq Jefri Bolkiah (born 9 May 1998) is a member of the Brunei royal family and professional footballer who plays as a winger for Ratchaburi in Thai League 1. Born in the United States, he has played as the captain of the Brunei national team.[2]
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Faiq Jefri Bolkiah[1] | ||
| Date of birth | 9 May 1998 | ||
| Place of birth | Los Angeles, United States | ||
| Height | 1.76 m (5 ft 9 in) | ||
| Position | Winger | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Ratchaburi | ||
| Number | 77 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2006–2009 | AFC Newbury | ||
| 2009–2013 | Southampton | ||
| 2014–2016 | Chelsea | ||
| 2016–2020 | Leicester City | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2020–2021 | Marítimo | 2 | (0) |
| 2021 | Marítimo B | 6 | (0) |
| 2021–2023 | Chonburi | 32 | (2) |
| 2023– | Ratchaburi | 18 | (2) |
| International career | |||
| 2013 | Brunei U19 | 5 | (1) |
| 2018 | Brunei U21 | 3 | (0) |
| 2015–2019 | Brunei U23 | 14 | (1) |
| 2016–2018 | Brunei | 6 | (1) |
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 4 May 2026 | |||
Club career
Early career
In 2009, whilst at AFC Newbury, Bolkiah signed a one-year deal with the Southampton academy.[3] He was 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, 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]
Marítimo
On 23 September 2020, Bolkiah signed on a free transfer to Marítimo of Portugal's Primeira Liga.[10] 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.[11] Forty-five days later, he was named as a Marítimo substitute for the first time in a league match against Sporting CP.[12]
On 11 April 2021, he made his senior debut for Marítimo B, coming on as a substitute in a 2–1 win over Gondomar.[13]
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.[14] He scored his first goal for the club in a 1–0 victory against Port on 25 November 2022.[15] He announced his departure from the club on 14 May 2023, after the conclusion of the 2022–23 Thai League 1.[16]
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.[17] He made his debut against Nakhon Pathom United on 19 August 2023 as a substitute in a 0–1 loss.[18] A month later, he scored his first goal for Ratchaburi in a 6–1 win at home against Police Tero on 16 September.[19]
International career
Bolkiah was eligible to represent the United States and Brunei. He was scouted for the youth teams of the United States[20] but chose to represent Brunei, doing so at the U19 and U23 levels[8] including at the 2015 Southeast Asian Games.[20] In that tournament, he scored in a 1–2 defeat to Timor Leste.[21] He was expected to make his senior international debut on 15 October 2016 in a 2016 AFF Championship qualification match against Timor-Leste.[22] He debuted in the match, starting and playing the full 90 minutes of a 2–1 victory.[23]
Personal life
Faiq was born on 9 May 1998 in Los Angeles to Prince Jefri Bolkiah and a Malaysian mother.[7] He has a twin sister named Qiana and at least 15 half siblings through his father.[24] He holds both Bruneian and American citizenship[20][25] and was educated in the United Kingdom at Bradfield College, Berkshire.[4]
Faiq has been described as "the richest footballer in the world", with an estimated net worth of US$20 billion[26] but this is actually the net worth of his uncle, Hassanal Bolkiah, the current Sultan of Brunei.[27]
Career statistics
International
- As of match played 8 September 2018.[28]
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brunei | 2016 | 5 | 1 |
| 2018 | 1 | 0 | |
| Total | 6 | 1 | |
- As of 21 October 2016[28]
- Scores and results list Brunei's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Bolkiah goal.
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 21 October 2016 | RSN Stadium, Phnom Penh, Cambodia |  Laos | 2–3 | 3–4 | 2016 AFF Championship qualification |
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