The richest soccer player in the world is not who you might expect; in fact, you probably have never even heard of the player.
Soccer is one of the most lucrative sports in the world. The biggest players at the biggest clubs receive staggering salaries along with impressive outside sponsorships. The European market is also at an all-time high as players go for record transfers seemingly every off-season.
The players with the largest yearly salaries are not the richest in the world, though, and neither are those with clothing lines or documentaries or expensive brand deals. Even the most successful superstars, with trophy cases full of silverware, cannot claim the title of “richest soccer player.”
Instead, the man with the highest net worth in the sport is a 26-year-old player with no more than 252,000 Instagram followers.
The richest soccer player in the world is Faiq Bolkiah. The forward is worth around $20 billion and currently plays in Thailand.
Bolkiah’s net worth comes from much more than his participation in Thai League 1. The player is the son of Jefri Bolkiah, the Prince of Brunei, and his uncle, Hassanal Bolkiah, is the Sultan of Brunei.
The 26-year-old has notched 52 total domestic caps in his career, most recently for Ratchaburi F.C. in the 2023-24 season. He scored two goals, matching his career-high in a single season, before suffering a severe leg injury in February.
Despite his absence, his club managed to ascend to sixth place in the league, an improvement from the prior season when they finished eighth.
No other soccer players are even close to overtaking Bolkiah when it comes to wealth. The two greatest players of all time, Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi, could combine their assets and still be $19 billion short.
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