55 Facts About Ronnie O'Sullivan

Ronald Antonio O'Sullivan was born on 5 December 1975 and is an English professional snooker player who is the world number one.

Ronnie O'Sullivan has won a record seven Masters and a record seven UK Championship titles for a total of 21 Triple Crown titles, the most achieved by any player.

Ronnie O'Sullivan holds the record for the most ranking titles, with 39, and has held the top ranking position multiple times.

Ronnie O'Sullivan won his first professional ranking event at the 1993 UK Championship aged 17 years and 358 days, making him the youngest player to win a ranking title, a record he still holds.

Ronnie O'Sullivan is the youngest player to win the Masters, which he first achieved in 1995, aged 19 years and 69 days.

Ronnie O'Sullivan became the oldest world champion in snooker history when he won his seventh title in 2022, aged 46 years and 148 days.

Ronnie O'Sullivan made his first competitive century break at age 10 and his first competitive maximum break at age 15.

Ronnie O'Sullivan is the only player to have achieved 1,000 century breaks in professional competition, a milestone he reached in 2019 and which he has since extended to over 1,200 centuries.

Ronnie O'Sullivan has been disciplined on several occasions by the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association for his behaviour and comments.

Ronnie O'Sullivan has written crime novels, autobiographies, and a health and fitness book.

Ronnie O'Sullivan began playing snooker at age 7 and soon became a noted amateur competitor, winning his first club tournament at age 9, making his first competitive century break at age 10, and winning the British Under-16 Championship at age 13.

Between 1996 and 1999, Ronnie O'Sullivan reached three world semi-finals in four years.

Ronnie O'Sullivan won his second UK title later that year at the 1997 UK Championship.

Ronnie O'Sullivan subsequently acknowledged frequent abuse of drugs and alcohol in the early years of his career, which resulted in spells in the Priory Hospital for rehabilitation.

Ronnie O'Sullivan added his second Masters title in 2005, ten years after his first.

Ronnie O'Sullivan's behaviour became notably erratic in the mid-2000s as he battled clinical depression.

In 2007, Ronnie O'Sullivan won his third Masters title and his fourth UK Championship, his first ranking title in almost three years.

Ronnie O'Sullivan won consecutive Masters in 2016 and 2017 for a record seven Masters titles.

Ronnie O'Sullivan won consecutive UK Championships in 2017 and 2018 for a record seven UK titles and a total of 19 titles in the Triple Crown Series, surpassing Hendry's total of 18.

Ronnie O'Sullivan surpassed Hendry's record of 70 Crucible wins, setting a new record of 74.

At the 2023 World Snooker Championship, Ronnie O'Sullivan made a record 31st Crucible appearance, surpassing the previous record of 30 appearance by Steve Davis.

Ronnie O'Sullivan made his 200th Crucible century break and his 1,200th century in professional competition during his second-round match against Hossein Vafaei.

Ronnie O'Sullivan is right-handed but can play to a high standard with his left hand and routinely alternates where needed, enabling him to attempt shots with his left hand that would otherwise require a or.

Ronnie O'Sullivan is highly regarded in the sport, with several of his peers regarding him as the greatest player ever and some labelling him a "genius".

Ronnie O'Sullivan himself has dismissed the suggestion that he is the greatest player and has identified Hendry as the greatest due to his domination of the sport.

Ronnie O'Sullivan has often been compared with Alex Higgins and Jimmy White because of his natural talent and popularity.

In December 2020, Ronnie O'Sullivan was nominated for the BBC's Sports Personality of the Year Award, becoming the first snooker player to receive a nomination since Hendry in 1990.

Ronnie O'Sullivan was nominated for a second time in December 2022.

Ronnie O'Sullivan took issue with increased travel expectations, flat 128 draws that required top professionals to play more rounds against lower ranked opponents, reduced prize money for 147 breaks, and tournament venues he saw as inadequate.

Ronnie O'Sullivan was critical of the tournament organisers' decision to allow fans into the World Championship final during the COVID-19 pandemic.

In 2021, Ronnie O'Sullivan claimed on a podcast interview that most snooker players had wasted their lives.

Ronnie O'Sullivan called snooker a "bad sport" that can cause "a lot of damage", suggesting that the antisocial nature of solitary practice in a darkened environment can stunt players' personal development.

Ronnie O'Sullivan stated that he would not support his own children if they chose to become snooker players, and said that if he could live his sporting career over again, he would pursue golf or Formula One instead.

In 2015 and 2016, Ronnie O'Sullivan co-hosted the Midweek Matchzone show with Chris Hood on Brentwood radio station Phoenix FM.

Ronnie O'Sullivan frequently appears as a pundit on Eurosport's snooker coverage, alongside Jimmy White and Neal Foulds.

Ronnie O'Sullivan has written three crime novels in collaboration with author Emlyn Rees: Framed, Double Kiss, and The Break.

Ronnie O'Sullivan has written two autobiographies: his first, Ronnie: The Autobiography of Ronnie O'Sullivan, was published in 2003; and his second, Running: The Autobiography, was published in 2013.

Ronnie O'Sullivan has coauthored a health and fitness book with nutritionist Rhiannon Lambert entitled Top of Your Game: Eating for Mind and Body.

Ronnie O'Sullivan's mother is originally from Sicily, and O'Sullivan spent childhood holidays in the village near Agrigento where she grew up.

Ronnie O'Sullivan was brought up in the Manor Road area of Chigwell, Essex, where he still lives.

Ronnie O'Sullivan is a first cousin of snooker player Maria Catalano, who has been ranked number one in the women's game.

Ronnie O'Sullivan's mother was sentenced to a year in prison for tax evasion in 1996, leaving O'Sullivan to care for his eight-year-old sister Danielle.

O'Sullivan has three children: Taylor-Ann Magnus was born on 1996 and from a two-year relationship with Sally Magnus, and Lily was born on 2006 and and Ronnie Jr was born on 2007 and from a relationship with Jo Langley, whom he met at Narcotics Anonymous.

Ronnie O'Sullivan became a grandfather in October 2018 after Taylor-Ann gave birth to a daughter.

Ronnie O'Sullivan began dating actress Laila Rouass in 2012, and became engaged to her in 2013.

Ronnie O'Sullivan is known for his perfectionism and for being highly self-critical, even in victory.

Ronnie O'Sullivan is a close friend of artist Damien Hirst.

Ronnie O'Sullivan enjoys cooking, and appeared on the BBC's Saturday Kitchen in December 2014 and February 2021.

Ronnie O'Sullivan enjoys motor racing, and has appeared on season 4 of Top Gear.

Ronnie O'Sullivan has espoused an interest in Buddhism, having spent many lunchtimes at the London Buddhist Centre in Bethnal Green.

Ronnie O'Sullivan has said he does not have a firm commitment to any religion.

Ronnie O'Sullivan was awarded an OBE in the New Year Honours list in 2016, for services to snooker.

Ronnie O'Sullivan has completed 15 maximum breaks in professional competition, from his first in the 1997 World Snooker Championship against Mick Price to his 2018 English Open maximum against Allan Taylor.

Ronnie O'Sullivan holds the record for the total number of century breaks, compiling more than 1,200 in professional competition.

Ronnie O'Sullivan scored his 1,200th century in a second-round match against Hossein Vafaei at the 2023 World Snooker Championship.