Chelsea FC's Royalty Faiq Bolkiah Shows Off Talent In SEA Games

Chelsea FC youth player and literal royalty Faiq Jefri Bolkiah showed off his wares at the Southeast Asian (SEA) Games, representing Brunei.

The 17-year-old son of Prince Jefri Bolkiah showed versatility, as he was deployed upfront, away from his natural position on either flanks. His more significant moment in the tournament came against Timor Leste, wherein he was able to find the back of the net.

However, he was unable to carry a relatively weak Brunei squad that was booted out of the competition after a winless run in the eliminations. He pointed out that conditioning was one of the aspects that his side can improve on, moving forward.

"Normally I'm a winger but here I play the striker role, its different but I'll play there," Bolkiah told Reuters.

"The boys did really, really well, they should be proud of themselves. Worked really hard."

"I thought, maybe fitness is something we have to work on to last the whole 90 minutes."

Unlike his father, who is known to be living a lavish lifestyle with women on the side, Faiq had to humbly prove himself in England as a youngster. He has had stints with Southampton and Reading before moving to the Blues' academy in 2014.

He has a fair chance of cracking into the first-team at Stamford Bridge, with Blues manager Jose Mourinho is now giving youth a chance as a part of his long-term objectives for the Club.

Born in the United States, Faiq is eligible to play for America and was even rumoured to have been scouted by the latter. But given the significant status of his family in Brunei, it would mean that the Americans would have to look elsewhere for talent.