Ronnie O’Sullivan names four snooker players he would pay to watch
'There are some great players out there right now.'
Ronnie O’Sullivan says there are ‘five or six’ snooker players he would pay to watch, although only four of them earned a namecheck from the Rocket.
At 49 years old, O’Sullivan remains the biggest draw in the sport and arguably still the best player when he is on form.
His long-time rival Mark Williams recently told Metro that O’Sullivan is still the player he would choose to watch over any other, even after more than 30 years of facing him.
‘He’s the one that everyone wants to see and that includes myself,’ the Welshman told Metro. ‘If I had to pay 20-30 quid to go and watch any snooker player it would be him, I wouldn’t want to watch anyone else.’
These comments were put to O’Sullivan and he said there are a handful of other players who are worth paying to see, with Luca Brecel chief among them.
‘There are some really talented players on the World Snooker Tour,’ O’Sullivan told Socrates Magazine. ‘I think there are five or six players that I would pay to watch. So I’m not alone in that.
‘Jimmy White, Alex Higgins and I have been great players for many years, entertaining audiences around the world. We’ve always had great support from the fans. But there are some great players out there right now who are exciting to play the game.
‘Luca Brecel, for example… he’s incredible! I could watch him all day long. Judd Trump, Kyren Wilson, Ding Junhui… they’re all great snooker players worth watching.
‘I think what Mark is saying is partly because I’ve been around for a long time and I’ve had great support from the fans. If I can get back into snooker, it would be good for me and good for snooker. That’s my goal. But again, there’s some great talent on the tour.’
The seven-time world champion described Brecel as ‘probably the most talented player I’ve ever seen’ after the Belgian downed the Rocket on his way to winning the 2023 World Championship.
O’Sullivan is clearly a big fan of the Bullet, but does also recognise that less flashy efficiency is something to be admired in players as well.
‘You can watch two players doing the same thing, but one of them really brings the game to life, adds excitement,’ he said.
‘If I were to watch snooker and see Luca Brecel playing, I would be really excited. He may not make as much money as some of the other players, but he brings life to the game.
‘But on the other hand, some players may seem mediocre from the outside, but they play very effectively. That’s something to be appreciated. If you’ve played a sport at a high level, you know how important efficiency is.’
Whether we will see O’Sullivan’s own crowd-pleasing style at the Crucible this month is yet to be seen, with the Rocket keeping everyone guessing until late in the day.
He has not played competitively since January when he snapped his cue out of frustration at the Championship League in Leicester.
Speaking earlier this month, O’Sullivan said: ‘I haven’t made my mind up, I’ll probably make a decision on maybe the April 17 or 18.’
O’Sullivan is not due to start his opening game at the Crucible until the afternoon of Tuesday April 22.
If he decides to pull out of the event before that game then his opponent will receive a bye to the last 16.
The draw for the last 32 of the World Championship takes place on Thursday morning after the qualifiers come to an end on Wednesday night.
