BARGAIN BIN
World’s richest footballer Faiq Bolkiah – worth more than Roman Abramovich – released on free transfer by Maritimo
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THE world’s richest footballer’s dream of making a career in the game has been dented with the announcement he to leave his current side.
Faiq Bolkiah shot to fame after he was signed to Southampton’s academy and had spells at Arsenal and Chelsea before signing a three-year deal with Leicester.
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The nephew of the Sultan of Brunei is reportedly worth a whopping £13BILLION, more than the £10.7bn fortune amassed by Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich.
He moved to Madeiran side Maritimo after being released by the Foxes last summer without making a single appearance.
Bolkiah’s hopes of getting his big break took another battering with news his contract with the top-flight Portuguese side had been rescinded.
The club - currently 15th out of 18th in the Primera Liga - said in a statement: “We have reached an agreement with the player Faiq Bolkiah to rescind his contract.
“We thank the player for the effort and dedication he has shown in service of our club, and sincerely wish him professional and personal happiness.”
The club didn’t offer a reason for the decision, which came after the 23-year-old failed to make an appearance for the senior side and played twice for the B team.
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Bolkiah, who last year posted a photo on his Instagram of him meeting Queen Elizabeth, has yet to make any comment.
It was not immediately clear whether the athlete would continue to pursue his dreams of professional football or decide to hang up his boots early.
The Brunei international was dubbed the richest footballer in the world after his attempts to make it in the beautiful game became public.
His dad Jefri is the brother of oil tycoon Hassanal, making Faiq a member of Brunei’s royal family and one of the heirs to the sultan’s fortune.
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Jefri is said to have owned 2,300 cars at the height of his wealth, including a fleet of Bentleys, Ferraris and Rolls-Royces.
He is once said to have spent around £5million on a RUG woven with gold threads and jewels.
For Faiq’s seventh birthday, he reportedly flew Michael Jackson in to perform a private concert and paid the late singer £12.5m.
Former Stamford Bridge team-mate Ruben Sammut said he was always ‘humble’ in the dressing room.
He told the Athletic: "You would never ever have thought he was something like the 12th in line to the throne.
“We used to play against him. I think he was at Reading. We didn’t realise who he was and nobody at Chelsea initially knew what his background was.”
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