World's richest footballer who is heir to £13bn fortune available for free

Money can buy you most things in life, but it hasn't been able to buy the world's richest footballer a career, as it stands.

Faiq Bolkiah is a name that most won't know, but he is in fact a former Southampton, Arsenal, Chelsea and Leicester City player.

However, it won't be his spells at those clubs that he is largely known by.

Bolkiah is in fact the richest footballer in the world because he is the nephew of the Sultan of Brunei, Hassanal Bolkiah, who is reportedly worth £13billion.

But despite his lucrative family tree, the 23-year-old has struggled to settle down at a club.

Having been released by Leicester last summer, Bolkiah signed for Portuguese outfit Maritimo, but his time at the Primera Liga outfit has been short and not so sweet.

The Brunei international was released by the club this week having failed to make a single appearance for the club and only featured twice for the B team.

Maritimo offered no reason for the Bolkiah's release, with their club statement reading: "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."

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So, with such wealth, why is Bolkiah so keen to pursue a career on the pitch?

In a rare interview he partook in whilst playing for Leicester, the forward said: "I've played football since as early as I can remember and from a young age I've always enjoyed going out on the field and having the ball at my feet.

"My parents have always been supportive in helping me to achieve my dreams of being a footballer.

"They trained me hard both psychologically and physically through my childhood years, so I have to say they are my role models."

Of course, Bolkiah being a free agent shouldn't largely affect the youngster considering he is one of the heirs to receive the Sultan's huge fortune.

Faiq is one of 17 siblings who will all get their fair share of the huge sum of money, and it is fair to say that he has already benefitted significantly from his uncles status in the country.

Bulkiah is believed to have had Michael Jackson flown to his own private concert to perform for his seventh birthday, with the late pop star pocketing £12.5million for the performance.

And that isn't where that story ends.

In order to cater for such a global icon, Bulkiah's father - Jefri Bolkiah - had an entire stadium built for the one-off concert.

Jefri is famed for being the 'playboy' of the Brunei royal family in his heyday, with his exponential wealth meaning that he was able to spend £35m per month on some of life's amenities - such as cars, watches and yachts.

Having spent numerous years in the dressing room and maturing through the ranks of football, Faik may be slightly less likely to follow in his father's footsteps and splash ludicrous amounts of cash on a daily basis - especially if he is keen to find a new club.