World's two richest footballers are worth £26bn but never played at a World Cup

There are rich footballers and then there are mega rich people who happened to play football.

Ex-Arsenal midfielder Mathieu Flamini and former Chelsea prospect Faiq Bolkiah are certainly in the latter category. Flamini, 38, is worth an astonishing £10.2billion due to his business ventures, while Bolkiah’s wealth stems from being the nephew of the Sultan of Brunei – worth a reported £16bn.

But there are some things that money simply can’t buy for footballers and an appearance on the grandest stage of all – the World Cup finals – is one of them.

But there are some things that money simply can’t buy for footballers and an appearance on the grandest stage of all – the World Cup finals – is one of them.