Ronnie O'Sullivan

Ronald Antonio O'Sullivan (born 5 December 1975) is an English professional snooker player. Widely recognised as one of the most talented and accomplished players in snooker history, he has won the World Snooker Championship seven times, a modern-era record he holds jointly with Stephen Hendry. He has also won a record eight Masters titles and a record eight UK Championship titles for a total of 23 Triple Crown titles, the most achieved by any player. He holds the record for the most ranking titles, with 41, and has held the top ranking position multiple times.

After winning amateur titles including the IBSF World Under-21 Snooker Championship, O'Sullivan turned professional in 1992, aged 16. At the age of 17 years and 358 days, he won his first ranking event at the 1993 UK Championship and remains the youngest player to win a ranking title. He is also the youngest player to win the Masters, having claimed his first title in 1995, aged 19 years and 69 days. It took him longer to achieve success at the World Championship, it wasn't until 2001 that he reached his first world final and he went on to defeat John Higgins 18–14 at the Crucible to claim his first World Championship and complete the career Triple Crown aged 25. He tied Stephen Hendry's modern day record of seven World Championship titles in 2022 when he defeated Judd Trump 18–13 in the final. Now also noted for his longevity in the sport, he is the oldest winner of all three Triple Crown events, having won his seventh world title in 2022, aged 46 years and 148 days; his eighth UK Championship title in 2023, aged 47 years and 363 days; and his eighth Masters title in 2024, aged 48 years and 40 days. As of 2025, he has made a record 33 appearances in the final stages of the World Snooker Championship at the Crucible.

O'Sullivan made his first competitive century break at age 10 and his first competitive maximum break at age 15. He was the first player to achieve 1,000 century breaks in professional competition, a milestone he reached in 2019 and which he has since extended to over 1,300 centuries. He has made the highest number of officially recognised maximum breaks in professional competition, with 17, and holds the Guinness World Record for the fastest competitive maximum break, compiled in a time of 5 minutes and 8 seconds at the 1997 World Championship. At the 2025 Saudi Arabia Snooker Masters, he became the second player (after Jackson Page) to make two maximums in the same match as well as the oldest player (aged 49 years and 253 days) to make a maximum in professional competition.

During his career, O'Sullivan has experienced depression, mood swings, and drug and alcohol abuse. Known as a controversial and outspoken figure on the professional tour, he has been disciplined on several occasions by the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association for his behaviour and comments. Outside his playing career, he has worked as a pundit for televised snooker coverage and has written crime novels, autobiographies, and a health and fitness book. He features in the 2017 miniseries Ronnie O'Sullivan's American Hustle and in the 2023 documentary film Ronnie O'Sullivan: The Edge of Everything. With Mark Williams and John Higgins, he is one of three players collectively known as the "Class of '92", who all turned professional during the 1992‍–‍93 season. A member of the World Snooker Tour Hall of Fame, he was appointed an OBE in 2016.