Erling Haaland may be earning a hefty £500,000-per-week contract with Manchester City, but he's unlikely to ever match the wealth of Faiq Bolkiah. Despite Haaland's reported net worth of approximately £58million, his impressive deal at the Etihad Stadium until 2034, which could boost his bank balance by at least another £273m if he fulfils it, will still be miniscule compared to the staggering fortune Bolkiah is set to inherit.
And that's despite the fact that the latter has never made a senior appearance in any of the world's top leagues. The 27-year-old was once a shining prospect in Chelsea's esteemed academy, as well as the youth systems of both Leicester City and Southampton. But the Los Angeles-born winger never managed to make the grade at the highest level in England.
Bolkiah penned his first professional contract with Maritimo, who currently compete in Portugal's second tier, five years ago. In 2021, he transferred to Thai League 1 side Chonburi, making just 32 appearances before moving again, this time to league rivals Ratchaburi, where he has been since 2023.
While players in the league won't be anywhere near as well compensated as some of Europe's leading stars, Bolkiah won't have to fret about his earnings too much, given he is the heir to a £20billion fortune - almost 350 times the amount Haaland is currently worth. That's because he is a member of the Brunei Royal Family, with the bulk of his enormous wealth stemming from being the nephew of Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah of Brunei.
Their sprawling assets encompass oil and gas reserves, luxury estates, and investments that dwarf those of most sporting stars and celebrities combined. Despite his riches, it's clear that Bolkiah has stayed remarkably grounded throughout his footballing journey, according to glowing opinions from former team-mates.
Bolkiah trained at Chelsea's youth academy alongside the likes of Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Tammy Abraham and Ruben Sammut, with the latter revealing just how modest he remained. Speaking previously to The Athletic, Sammut explained: "You would never ever have thought he was something like the 12th in line to the throne.
"You would not have thought of him as royalty. 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. It wasn't a regular thing we mentioned. It was that typical banter, saying he is royalty.
"Saying, 'What's he doing playing with us?' But we all knew deep down how much he wanted to play, so it was more good-willed passing comments."
Haaland is set to spearhead City's charge to reclaim the Premier League title they lost to Liverpool last season. Despite finishing third, the 25-year-old forward was in scintillating form, netting 22 times in 33 league outings for the Cityzens.
The Norwegian international also shone at the Club World Cup this summer, bagging three goals and providing an assist in four matches before Pep Guardiola's men were knocked out in the round of 16 by Al-Hilal.