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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 represented and served 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, California, United States | ||
| Height | 1.75 m (5 ft 9 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Winger | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Ratchaburi | ||
| Number | 77 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| –2009 | A.F.C. Newbury | ||
| 2009–2013 | Southampton | ||
| 2014–2016 | Chelsea | ||
| 2016–2020 | Leicester City | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2020–2021 | Marítimo | 0 | (0) |
| 2021 | Marítimo B | 1 | (0) |
| 2021–2023 | Chonburi | 31 | (2) |
| 2023– | Ratchaburi | 13 | (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, correct as of 17 February 2024 | |||
Early career
In 2009, while as a member of A.F.C. Newbury, Bolkiah signed a one-year deal with the Southampton Academy.[3] He was still 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]
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]
Faiq is the son of Prince Jefri Bolkiah and nephew of Hassanal Bolkiah, the current Sultan of Brunei. He was born in Los Angeles and holds both Bruneian and American citizenship.[20][24] He was educated in Great Britain at Bradfield College.[4] Bolkiah has been described as "the richest footballer in the world", with an estimated net worth of US$20 billion.[25][26][27]
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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