Despite reaching the US Open final, Jessica Pegula’s net worth remains less than half of that of the world’s richest footballer.
Pegula, ranked third in the world, made headlines during her journey to the US Open final, including a comeback win over Karolina Muchova. Pegula got £1.37 million ($1.8 million) in prize money but was unable to beat Aryna Sabalenka in the final (7-5, 7-5).
The 30-year-old’s career earnings total £12.26 million ($16.1 million), and he is said to have a £10 million net worth. The US tennis star is considered a billionaire due to her family’s riches. Her father, Terry Pegula, owns the Buffalo Bills and Buffalo Sabres and is worth £5.4 billion ($7 billion).
Even without her professional tennis career, Pegula and her three siblings are poised to inherit that eye-watering fortune in the future, making her one of the world’s wealthiest athletes. However, this sum is eclipsed by the world’s richest footballer, a title that does not belong to Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo.
Faiq Bolkiah is a little-known footballer who now plays for Ratchaburi in Thai League 1 and is supposedly valued £15.7 billion. For reference, Forbes estimates that Ronaldo and Messi will make a combined £300 million ($395 million) in 2024.
The 26-year-old winger’s tremendous wealth, like Pegula’s, comes from his family tree. Bolkiah, the Sultan of Brunei’s nephew, will inherit the royal family’s £200 billion inheritance.
Bolkiah began his football career with Southampton and later joined Chelsea, where he played alongside Tammy Abraham and Fikayo Tomori. After signing a professional contract with Leicester City, he did not make any first-team appearances before joining Maritimo in Portugal in 2020. After failing to make an impact, Bolkiah joined Thai club Chonburi before signing with Ratchaburi in 2023.
Bolkiah reflected on his unexpected professional path, saying, “I never imagined I’d come to Asia. I got down with my agent, advisors, and family members, and I simply told them, ‘I can’t risk moving to another club, them signing me for reasons other than football, and not playing, wasting another year or two.'”
Image:
Jamie Squire/Getty Images)
Meanwhile, Pegula had to accept defeat against Sabalenka. The 30-year-old made it to her first Grand Slam final and hopes that it would serve as a motivator for her to capture a major title.
“If I can’t take confidence from this, there’s got to be something wrong,” Pegula said. “To be able to be a grand slam finalist, that was kind of the last thing for me. I made a lot of quarterfinals but can I make a semi? Can I be a contender to actually win a grand slam?”